When I Look at You
by xoxoRuflyGirl
Summary: In this sequel to Collide, Matthew and Kelly finally marry and go on their honeymoon. However, it's not all marital bliss as they would hope. Can their love survive when jealousy starts to rear it's ugly head? Find out by reading When I Look at You. ;
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Here is my sequel to Collide. I hope you like it. It is taken from the Miley Cyrus song of the same title. I hope you guys listen to it off youtube or wherever if you haven't heard it already. It fits MK perfectly. In my mind anyway. And remember, reviews make me write more. You know I love you! Xoxo- RuflyGirl_

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 1: She's Got the Look**_

~Matthew~

It had been a year since I proposed to Kelly, and I was still as in love with her as the day I fell for her. To me, she got more beautiful with every day that passed.

We had to wait a year to get married. We needed the divorce to be finalized, and for the custody with Aven to be taken care of. I was more than blessed to have gotten joint custody, and to still be friends with Naama. I couldn't live not seeing my daughter that often. Thank God it didn't come to that.

So, that being all taken care of, the wedding was now just over a month away. I was glad Kelly took care of most of the wedding plans. I was never one to care for the details. All I wanted to do was marry her. The setting didn't mean anything to me. All that mattered to me was that I had Kelly by my side, and that she would be by my side for the rest of my life.

Anyway, it was our daughter's first birthday, so the wedding plans were put out of our mind for the time being. I could hardly believe Lily was a year! I could remember the day she was born like yesterday.

I spoiled her rotten—much to Kelly's dismay sometimes. For instance, I wanted to go to a farm and have pony rides for her birthday. Kelly didn't think that was such a good idea.

_"A one year old does not ride ponies! It's too dangerous!"_

_ "Obviously one of us would ride with her, Kel. Besides, Aven would love it!"_

_ Kelly shot me a look. "But it's a party for _Lily_—not Aven. Besides, I don't think a pony would enjoy having an adult ride him."_

_ I sighed. "Well, then, what did _you_ have in mind?"_

_ Kelly smiled. "I was thinking we'd take her to the park, and push her on the swings. She also likes the merry-go-round. Then we can take her to Chuck E. Cheese's for dinner. Aven will enjoy both of those things. Then, we can come home and get her ready for bed. We can tuck her in, and you can sing to her. You know she always sleeps better when you sing to her."_

_ I placed my arm around Kelly, and gently rubbed her back as I kissed her temple. "I'll let you win this time—you have the better idea."_

_ She grinned up at me. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you."_

_ I shook my head. "Just shut up and kiss me."_

_ Still grinning, she took my face between her hands and passionately kissed my lips in such a way, that I'd have admitted to being wrong a hundred times I that was what I got in return._

Kelly came over to me, and wrapped her arms around me from behind. "You ready to go? I figured maybe we should go to Chucky's first. Since we're bringing the cake with us, it's better that way. We don't want to have to carry it to the park. Besides, it's probably best the kids don't have cake so close before bed."

I turned my face to hers, and gently nuzzled my nose against hers. "You're such a good mother."

She smiled. "And you're such a good _father_."

We kissed, which caused me to turn around and face her, so that I could grab her waist and kiss her more passionately.

"Come on, stop kissing, and let's go!" Hermés, who had just turned five, said as he tugged on his mother's dress.

Kelly and I broke the kiss, and grinned at him.

"We're coming, we're coming! Would you rather we kiss _you_?" I asked, picking him up, and kissing his cheek.

Kelly double teamed him and kissed his other cheek, and we both added tickling into the mixture.

He giggled. "Stop! Stop!"

We both stopped, still grinning at him. We set him down.

"Aven wants to go now, and I can tell Lily wants to go too!" Hermés said.

Kelly and I gave each other a knowing look. We both knew it was more _Herm_és that wanted to go now than little Lily.

"All right, all right! We're coming!" Kelly said, taking both my hands and giving me one of her sweet smiles before heading off to get Lily ready.

I smiled after her, my heart pounding as it always did when Kelly smiled at me. I then went to get Aven ready, looking forward to the night, but the wedding even more.

~Kelly~

"I stopped breastfeeding Lily a lot earlier than I had my other children. It just made it easier for when I wasn't with her.

When our pizza arrived, I took off everything off Lily's slice but the sauce, and cut it into pieces that were just the right size for her. Then, I let her use her hands to eat. She preferred to eat on her own instead of being fed. Of course I kept a close watch on her the whole time she was eating. I also had to help her at times when it came to drinking from her sippy cup.

Aven and Helena were both two now, and they were good eating by themselves as well. Matt cut their pizza up for them, but they were old enough to be trusted with cheese.

"Do you want me to cut yours up, Hermés?" Matt asked, trying to be helpful.

Hermés shot him a look. "I'm not a baby, Daddy." He had stopped calling Matthew 'New Daddy.' Instead, recently he had dropped the 'new,' and called Matthew Daddy and his father Dad. It was cute.

Matthew smiled at him. "You're right; you're not. I apologize."

I shook my head. My son was growing up so fast. I couldn't help but wonder where the time went.

After pizza, the Chuck E. Cheese's crew brought out the cake with one candle lit on it. Chucky was even there. Unfortunately, the girls didn't appreciate him as much as someone Hermés' age did. All three girls burst into tears at the sight of Chucky.

"Babies, it's okay! He's a nice mouse! He's cute!" Matthew said, holding Aven with one arm to comforter, and Helena in the other. He kissed the tears off their cheeks.

I held Lily close, and she buried her face in my chest. I looked at Matt helplessly. "How did we not know they were afraid of him until now?"

Matt shrugged. "I don't know! I guess we've never gotten this close to Chucky with them before. It's either that or, they were too young before to really know what was going on."

The crew finished singing happy birthday, despite the fact that it was making the girls cry. When they finished, Hermés clapped. He slid underneath the table, and crawled out to hug Chucky. He then turned to his sisters. "See? He's nice!"

Aven and Helena stopped crying, but were still sniffling as they watched Hermés hugging Chucky.

Lily still had her face buried in my chest, hiding from the giant mouse, so Hermés blew the candle out for her. "I wished for you not to be scared!" Hermés toldLily.

I smiled at my son. I loved when he tried to help his sisters out. He was a good kid, and no matter how old he got, or how fast he grew up, I knew that was one thing that would never change.

The workers wished Lily a happy birthday, but Lily would have none of it until Chucky was gone.

Hermés smiled at Chucky and gave him one last hug before he bid Chucky ado. "My sisters are scared of you, so you better go. I still love you though!"

Chucky pat his head and handed him a stack of game tickets in response.

Hermés grinned widely. "Thanks, Chucky!" He hugged him yet again, before climbing back under the table, and taking his place next to Matthew again.

I smiled, and waved back at Chucky as Chucky waved to us then left. I then looked at my son. "That was very nice of you."

Hermés smiled in return. "Chucky's cool! They'll think so too when they're older."

I couldn't get over how mature my son acted sometimes. I was sure he was destined for something big. But I know all mothers thought their children were destined for something big. I'd just have to wait and see. However, it could wait. I didn't want him growing up any faster than he already was of course!

Lily finally stopped sniffling (as had Aven and Helena), and unburied her face.

Matthew smiled at her. "There's my girl's beautiful face!"

Lily held out her arms, and began to clench and unclench her fists. "Dada!"

Matthew grinned. He was always so proud when she called him that!

I smirked. She had said 'Dada' before 'Momma,' and he never let me hear the end of it.

I handed Lily over to Matthew from across the table.

He took her and held her close in his arms, having already set Helena and Aven back in their high chairs. He kissed the top of her head, which was lightly covered in blonde hair. "There's my princess! Do you feel better now that Chucky's gone? Hm?"

Lily rested her head against his chest in response.

I smiled. He was so good with her. I knew she was going to be a total Daddy's girl. Though, with father like Matthew, I couldn't blame her one bit!

I thought back to when she had first called him Daddy.

_She watched him from her playpen as he practiced a song on his guitar. She couldn't walk yet, but she held out her arms just like she had done now. "Da!" is how it came out at first._

_ I walked into the room. "It looks like she is trying to say something," I said._

_ Matthew put down his guitar, and quickly grabbed the video camera. He was determined to catch all of her first moments on tape, if he could help it. "Say it! Say, Dada!" he coaxed her._

_ "Da!" she tried again._

_ "Dada!" he corrected her._

_ "Dada!" she said. She then giggled and clapped her hands as if she knew she had just said her first word._

_ Matthew laughed. "Oh my gosh, she said it, Kel! She said Dada!"_

_ I grinned, though it was halfhearted. Don't get me wrong. I was thrilled she had said her first word, and it was adorable that she said "Dada," but I was a little disappointed it hadn't been "Momma." Hermés had said "Dada" first. Helena had said "Momma," but she was around me more than her father, so I couldn't take it too much to heart._

_ Matthew put the camera down, then picked Lily up and kissed her cheek. "You said Dada! Good girl!"_

_ I smiled, and came up beside him, gently resting my hand on his back, and smiling at our daughter. _

_ "She loves me more than she loves you, Kel." Matthew didn't mean it as mean. In fact, he was clearly joking, but it had hit a nerve. _

_ I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not funny, Matthew."_

_ He sensed I was upset, and gently put Lily back down in her playpen. He pulled me close. "You know I was just kidding, Kel. She adores you. She said Dada first because she is saving the best for last."_

_ I couldn't help but smile at this. I could never stay angry with Matthew. I kissed him, and that was the end of our fight. _

_ She ended up calling me Momma a day later anyway. I was brushing her hair with a baby brush when she looked right back at me and said, "Momma!" I was so happy, I cried. I picked her up and rushed over to Matthew to tell him. He pretended to be surprised and happy, but I later found out he had coached her every chance he got that I wasn't around, until she had said it. He had even got the whole coaching section (complete with the first time he actually got the word out of her) on tape. I had been a little hurt that he had had to coax her to say it, and that I had missed the _real_ first time she said it (somehow watching it on tape wasn't the same thing), but I quickly got over it since it had been one of the sweetest things he had done for me. _

"What?" Matthew asked me with a laugh as he saw me watching him and Lily.

I shrugged and smiled. "Nothing. I'm just thinking about what a wonderful father and husband you are."

He grinned and shrugged. "What can I say? I have a wonderful wife and kids."

I looked away, a smile still on my face; not wanting him to see me blush. After all this time, that man's smile still made my heart beat hard and my stomach do flip-flops. I could hardly wait to marry him! I was the luckiest woman on earth and I knew it!

~Matthew~

"Look at her. What a mess!" I said with a grin when I saw the chocolate cake all over Lily's face. "We _had_ to get her chocolate!"

Kelly grinned at our daughter. There was chocolate cake and chocolate frosting all over Lily's cheeks, mouth, and hands. "Well, at least we know she likes it!"

I laughed. "That she does. Do you want to go clean her off in the bathroom?"

Kelly nodded. "Yeah. I might as well take Helena and Aven too. I'm sure they must have to go to the bathroom by now."

"Well, maybe I can take one of the girls in the men's room. You have your hands full already," I suggested.

"Well, maybe you could take Lily then since she's youngest?" Kelly asked. "It won't be as bad to take her in the men's room since she's still a baby."

I nodded. "Good point!" So, we all got out of the booth, and I picked up my daughter. She instantly smiled at me, which made a smile instantly appear on my face. "We need to get you cleaned, baby girl! You're all messy!"

Lily started to giggle, and it encouraged me to tickle her ribs. She laughed even more.

"You're going to make her squirm, and get chocolate all over you!" Kelly said, shaking her head with a grin.

"Then I guess you'll just have to clean me," I said to her, a grin on my own face.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head again, but the grin remained on her face.

"All right, let's meet back at the table in ten," I said.

"All right," Kelly agreed.

Then, we were off. Kelly headed into the ladies' room to take care of the girls, and I headed into the men's room to clean off Lily. Hermés came with us so he could use the bathroom.

Once the three of us were done, we headed out to see that Kelly wasn't back at the table yet.

"Let's go on the slide before we leave!" Hermés suggested.

"You can go, but I think I'm too big to go on it," I told him, eyeing the colorful jungle gym that was a few yards away.

Hermés pouted. "But I want you to come with me! Lily does too."

I smirked at him. "And how would you know that?"

"She told me!" Hermés insisted. It wasn't the first time he claimed that Lily talked to him. Kelly and I always just played along. It was cute, really.

I looked from his pleading eyes to my daughter's smiling face. I grinned back at Hermés. "All right! But just once!"

Hermés smiled big, and clapped his hands together excitedly. "Yay!" He ran straight towards the jungle gym.

I shook my head and laughed as I followed after him, trying my best to catch up with him.

"This is not as easy as it looks!" I said as I crawled into the jungle gym with Hermés. It was torture! Here he was zipping through it like it was nothing at all to him. Whereas I was crawling on my knees behind Lily, gently pushing her forward as she slowly crawled to the top. My knees and back were aching, and I was beginning to feel slightly claustrophobic in the space that was small enough as it was if you were a kid. Try being a forty-two-year-old man in it. It was twice as small!

Finally, we got tot he top. Hermés was waiting for us.

"What took you guys so long?" he asked.

"It's a little harder to get up here when you're as old and big as me," I told him.

He smiled. "I'll go first!"

"Please do," I said, a little out of breath.

Hermés slid down in no time at all. He then climbed off, and went to the side of the slide. He peered in. "You coming?"

"We're on our way. Watch out," I said.

Hermés moved out of the way.

I positioned myself at the top of the slide and took a deep breath. I slowly let it out. I had Lily on my lap, held tightly in my arms. "You ready, Baby girl?" I asked her.

She smiled up at me.

"I'll take that as a yes!" I said. I sighed. "All right, Hermés, here we come!" I pushed us off, and Lily and I slid down the slide. Of course, due to the tight corders, we went down a heck of a lot slower than Hermés had gone down. Needless to say, it wasn't very thrilling for me _or_ Lily.

"Maybe you should let _me_ take her down next time," Hermés said, once again too smart for his age.

I looked up at him, still sitting at the bottom of the slide. "You think?"

He grinned.

"Aw, that's so cute! Is she your daughter?"

I looked over to see an attractive girl, who looked to be in her early twenties, smiling at me. She had long red hair and light green eyes. I smiled. "Why, yes, she is!" I nodded towards Hermés. "My stepson—Hermés—wanted me to go down the slide with him and her. Well, he went down first, then Lily and I went down together."

The girl smiled. "Aw! Lily? That's such a cute name! How old is she? I love babies."

I smiled at Lily, then at the girl. "She just turned one today, actually!"

"Aw! Well, happy birthday, Lily!" the girl said to Lily, gently taking her hand and shaking it. She looked at me and offered her hand. "I'm Samantha. Need help up?"

I took her hand with a smile. "Matthew, and yes, I would, please."

I let her held me up as I held tightly to Lily. Once I was standing up again, I shook Samantha's hand. "Thanks!"

Samantha gave me a flirtatious smile. "Not a problem."

_Ahem!_

Samantha and I both looked over as Kelly appeared with Aven and Helena. She was holding Aven's hand on her right, and Helena's on her left. "Who is this?" She put on a smile that I knew all too well as her fake smile.

I followed her eyes and noticed that my hand was still in Samantha's. I quickly pulled my hand away. "This is Samantha. Hermés wanted Lily and I to go down the slide with him. I got stuck in the slide, and she helped me up."

Samantha held out her hand to Kelly. "Oh my gosh!" She looked at me quickly. "I know who you are now!" She looked back at Kelly, and shook her hand. "You're Matthew Settle and Kelly Rutherford from _Gossip Girl_!"

Kelly grinned, a little more sincerely now. "Kelly Settle now. But, yes, I'm still credited as Kelly Rutherford."

Samantha clapped her hands together. "Well, it's so nice to meet you guys! I don't watch your show—I haven't got the time—but my sister loves your show. She'll flip when she finds out I met you guys. You're like her role model, Kelly. I can see why. You're a beautiful woman! I hope I look that good when I get to be your age."

_Ouch!_ I knew Kelly would be none too pleased with the " get to be your age" thing.

Kelly's sincere smile remained though. "Thank you! You're a pretty girl. I'm sure you will."

They talked for a short bit, then Samantha said goodbye to me, a sly smile playing on her lips, and a twinkle in her eye as she did so. "You're even hotter in person. I may just have to start taping _Gossip Girl_." She winked at me, then gently shook Lily's hand and said goodbye to her, then she left, not really acknowledging Hermés, Helena, or Aven.

"She seems like a nice girl," I said as Kelly and I headed back to the table to grab our things.

Kelly stiffened a little. "If you like that sort of thing."

I grinned to myself. She was clearly jealous—I liked it!

~Kelly~

"What's wrong, Honey?" Matt asked with his arms around my waist as I gently pushed Lily on the baby swing.

"What makes you think anything's wrong?" I asked. Something _was_ wrong. I hated how he always seemed to flirt with kids young enough to be his daughter. He had me, yet it didn't stop his eyes from wandering whenever we saw another, much younger, pretty face.

He rested his head on my shoulder. "I know you. You're tense. Is it because Samantha said she hopes she looks as good as you do when she is your age? Because, if that's what it is, I think you should concentrate more on the part where she said she hopes she looks as good as you."

I stopped pushing Lily, and turned to face him. "Well, that's not all of it. I'm also a little upset that you were flirting with her."

He laughed. "Flirting with her? She helped me up! I can't help it if maybe she was flirting with me."

"Oh, she clearly was!" Lily started getting fussy, so I pushed her swing again, calming her down.

He wrapped his arms around my waist again. "Well, I'm not going to lie. It feels good getting attention from women that young. It makes me feel less old. But, you gotta know, Baby, you're the only one I love."

"So, I'm too old for it to make you feel good when I give you attention?" I was a little hurt, and a lot insulted.

He kissed the side of my neck. "You're not old. You're _older_, but you're not old." He turned me around and kissed me. "I feel like the best looking guy on earth for having nabbed you."

I couldn't help but smile at this. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really!" He grabbed my waist from the front this time and kissed me more passionately for emphasis. "I love you, Kel. I don't need anyone but you. I'm sorry if it seemed I was flirting back. It's just my personality. I don't mean anything by it. I was just trying to be polite. Forgive me?"

I grinned, and took his face between my hands. I kissed him hard on the lips. "Does that answer your question?"

He smiled, his forehead resting against mine. "I don't know. I think I need to get you home so you can convince me some more."

I shook my head. "You always have a one track mind."

"And you don't mind it one bit!" He said.

I turned back to Lily, and began pushing her again. "No, I don't," I admitted, a smile still on my face.

~Matthew~

When we got the kids home, I got Aven and Helena ready for bed. They shared a room whenever I had Aven. I think they liked the company.

I tucked them in and sang to them, making them both smile. I kissed both their cheeks, then Kelly came in.

"Lily's in her crib, ready for her song," she said, hugging me and kissing me.

I lowed my eyes and kissed her for a moment. I could never get enough of her.

"I'm going to say goodnight to the girls, then I'll help Hermés get ready for bed," she said with her smile that made me weak in the knees.

I kissed her once more. "Okay. I'll be there in a bit." I then headed in to sing to Lily. She always had such a beautiful smile when I sang to her—just like her mother.

When I came into the room, Lily was standing up, holding onto the crib rail. She had just started standing up, but hadn't really taken any steps yet. I knew it was only a matter of time before she did though. That is why I had a camera in every room to grab whenever I needed it.

"How's my baby girl doing? Are you all ready for bed?" I asked.

"Sing!" she said.

I laughed. "Whatever my princess wants, my princess gets!" She had recently started saying the word sing. I knew it was probably because I'd always ask her if she wanted me to sing.

So, I sat down in the rocking chair, grabbed my guitar, and sang for her. Somewhere along the line, she lay down in her crib, and by the time the song was over, she was asleep. I set my guitar down, then turned on her night light before heading over to her crib. I covered her up nice and snuggly, then kissed her cheek. I stroked some hair out of her eyes. She really did look like her mother. She was beautiful. I left the room, gently and quietly closing the door behind me.

I then headed into Hermés' room to tell him goodnight. I found that Kelly had already said goodnight to him, and was gone from the room. Hermés looked like he was more than ready for sleep. I tucked him in a little tighter and said goodnight to him, then I headed into Kelly's and my bedroom. I found her waiting for me in bed—wearing absolutely nothing.

I licked my lips, and started ridding myself of my clothes.

"I figured, if you needed more convincing that I forgive you, this is the best way. Am I right?" she asked, her voice getting the seductive tone that _always_ put me in the mood.

I rid myself of the last article of clothing, then hopped into bed with her. I took her in my arms and kissed her, then pinned her below me.

She smirked. "You don't waste much time, do you?"

My eyes were lowered with desire—I wanted her so badly. "Do you want me to slow down?"

She pulled me closer, her lips brushing against my left ear. "Not if you value your life," she teased.

I grinned, then gave us both exactly what we needed.

~Kelly~

I lay my head on Matthew's chest after our love making. He had his arm around me, and I just felt so safe with him. I could hardly wait to be his wife. He always made me feel so beautiful. I'll admit it—I was feeling a little old and unattractive earlier when I met Samantha. Matthew clearly had found her attractive—more so than he was leading on I was sure. But, tonight, he had made me feel secure, beautiful, and loved again. Even so, I could hardly wait until the wedding. Only when we were married would I feel totally secure. I would finally feel that he was mine.

I sighed, then closed my eyes as the moonlight from our bedroom window poured in on us. I was counting the days until our wedding, which was going to be on December first. We were going to wait until Valentine's Day, but thought that might be a little too cliché. Besides, we didn't want to wait that long. Matthew's divorce had just gone though finally, and we were more than ready to be married. I figured right before Christmas might be nice, but not too close to Christmas. We wanted to have time to have a proper honeymoon before Christmas. So, what we did was random, really. Matthew got out thirty-one tiny pieces of paper, numbering them from one to thirty-one. Then, he shuffled them up in his hand, and I closed my eyes and picked one. It turned out to be number one. So, that was our date. It wasn't too close to Christmas, yet it was in December. It was perfect.

I kissed Matthew's chest and smiled, my arms wrapped around him. I was looking forward to finally making him mine forever. He already was, but it would be nice to make it official. I could hardly wait! December first couldn't get here soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Thank you LilyRufus and Kylleee for your reviews. You guys rock!_

_I want to say to everyone else, there have been rumors going on that I have been plagiarizing, copying Addison and her friend's stories. These rumors are FALSE. I don't need to copy off anybody. What would be the point in that? It is an insult to me to even suggest I'd do that. Addison said some of you had brought to her attention stuff you claim I copied off her. First off, you're tripping. Second off, you don't go behind my back. You come to me. Plagiarism is a very serious accusation. I would never try to ruin someone's reputation-especially when I wasn't sure if what I was accusing them of was true. It is NOT true. Everything I write is mine and mine alone. I don't even know what site this is that I am being accused of copying off of. If you're a TRUE fan and TRUE friend of mine you would know that any similarities are purely coincidental. If I have to mail my stories to myself first to have proof via postal date I will. I will not let anyone slander my name and falsely accuse me. That is all I'm going to say on the matter other than if you hate my stories so much, grow up and stop reading them. As for my TRUE fans and friends, thank you for being smart enough to believe me, for I am telling the truth. Thank you. -Xoxo Rufly Girl_

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 2: Saltwater Room**_

~Kelly~

"I can hardly wait to marry your daddy!" I said to Lily as I fed her her cereal. It was true. I thought back to how long I had had a crush on Matthew, and finally it was happening. I would be marrying him. It was in just a week, then I would finally be Kelly Settle. I planned on taking his name. I wanted the world to know I was his, and he was mine.

"And I can hardly wait to make you my wife," Matt said, coming into the room and kissing me.

I smiled at him. "Only one more week!"

He stroked my hair. "It can't come soon enough." He kissed my cheek, then headed into the cupboard to grab a glass.

I finished feeding Lily, then wiped her mouth, and gave her her juice.

"How's my little princess doing today? Hm? Did you sleep well?" Matthew asked her, sipping some orange juice and walking over to her. He stroked her cheek, and she smiled at him.

I smiled too. "I'll let you two talk. I'm going to go see about getting Helena and Hermés up."

Matthew placed a hand around my waist and kissed me. "I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too." I kissed him, then headed to Hermés' room first. He was up, and had made his bed, like I had taught him to do.

"I'm impressed!" I said. Usually, I had to coax him to make the bed.

"Can we go out for breakfast?" Hermés asked.

"Daddy and I have to work today, so Grandma's going to watch you today, but you can ask her if she'd mind taking you out. I don't think she'd mind." I winked. A pipe had burst the night before in the school, so the were closed for a few days. It wasn't very convenient, but thankfully I had a wonderful mother who was staying with us until after the wedding to help out.

"Don't think I'd mind what?" My mother asked with a smile, coming into the room with her nightgown still on.

Hermés ran to her and hugged her legs. He smiled up at her. "Can we go out for breakfast?"

My mother smiled down at him, and stroked his hair. "It's 'may' we go for breakfast, and yes, I suppose we can do that!"

Hermés clapped his hands together. "Yay!"

My mother chuckled. "Grandma's gotta shower and get ready first though. Nightgowns aren't exactly a fashionable thing to go to breakfast in!"

"What's 'fashionable?'" Hermés asked.

My mother and I both laughed.

"Don't worry, Sweetie, you'll find out all about it when you're older," I said, stroking his hair.

Helena started crying from the other room, and I looked at my mom with a silent plea.

My mother smiled. "Go get her. I'll take care of Hermés."

I kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Mom."

I then ran off to get my daughter. Aven was with her mother, so it was just my two girls and my boy today.

I picked up Helena and rocked her, gently shushing her.

She stopped crying right away. "See? Mommy's here. No need to cry." I said to her. I changed her and dressed her, then carried her downstairs to feed her.

When I got tot he bottom of the stairs, I saw that Matt was on the floor with Lily, holding out her favorite stuffed teddy bear to her.

"Come get it, princess!" he said. He looked at me when he heard me coming down the stairs. "I really want her to learn to walk so that she can be a flower girl too," he said to me. She hadn't been able to walk yet. She tried, but she'd always fall back down onto her tush. She'd never cry though. She was one tough baby! Determined too.

I set Helena down, for she had started to squirm. "Get you're bear, Lily! You can do it!" I called out. I didn't mind either way. I'd love to see her be a flower girl, but, at the same time, I loved seeing her crawl too. It had been so long since any of my other kids had crawled. I missed it so much! When you get to be a mother, and your kids start to grow up, you start missing the things they used to do that they'll never do again.

Helena must have thought I was talking to her, for she started walking towards the bear.

Lily saw this, and that did it. She stood up, and reached out to the bear.

Matthew and I looked at each other. She was going to try to walk again. We knew because she'd always stand and reach out before trying to walk.

Matt shot up off the floor, and grabbed the camera. He turned it on, and aimed it at Lily.

"Get the bear, Lily! Helena's gonna get it if you don't!" I told her.

Lily looked at me, then at the bear. Helena was almost to the bear. Lily then not only walked, but practically ran over to the bear. She fell down when she got to it, but she had taken her first steps nonetheless. Matt and I looked at each other, grins on both our faces.

"Did you see that?" Matt asked with excitement. "She walked! She walked _fast_ at that!"

I laughed. "I saw! Did you get it on tape?"

"Yes, I did! Oh my gosh, all our babies can walk now! My little girl can walk!" Matt put the camera down, then picked Lily and her bear up. "Good girl, Lily, good girl!"

Lily giggled, and shook her bear up and down with excitement.

I smiled, my hand to my chest. I had never been more proud than I was at that moment. I was the luckiest girl on earth, and I knew it!

~Matthew~

I was so overjoyed, I cried. I didn't like crying in front of people, but I was so happy! My daughter had walked, and I had caught it all on tape! I was so proud of her!

I didn't want to leave her, but I had to. We had to work—especially now with a wedding to pay for. Kelly had gone all out with the planning. I didn't mind though. I wanted her to have her dream wedding. It was her third wedding, but, this time, it was going to be her last, Lord willing. I wanted it to count.

Anyway, after saying goodbye to the kids and her mother, we headed to work. The cast and crew were all excited for the wedding. The crew was all invited, and the cast all had a part in the wedding. Penn was going to be my best man, and Connor, Ed, Chace, and Sebastian were going to be groom's men. Leighton, Blake, and Taylor were bride's maids, and Kelly's mother was going to be her maid of honor. Our ring bearer was going to be Hermés of course, and all three of our girls were going to be the flower girls. I was so glad Lily could walk now! I was going to coach her every night until the wedding now so that she was a pro come time for the wedding.

"I hate that I have to put this thing on," Kelly said once we had arrived at work and were getting settled into wardrobe. Josh had decided that Kelly's character, Lily, was going to be pregnant with Rufus' child again. So, that's how it was written out. Now, Kelly had to wear padding to simulate a pregnancy in the third month.

I grinned at her. She was wearing a dress that now displayed a slight baby bump. I placed my hand over her stomach. "I don't know, I kind of like this look on you. Remember how I said we should try for a son and name him Rufus?" I wriggled my eyebrows up and down at her suggestively.

She rolled her eyes, and pushed my hand away. "Rufus sounds more like a name you'd give to a dog. We weren't even going to have Lily, so why would we have another?"

I placed my hand over her stomach again, and rubbed it. "But look how happy we are with Lily. I know we'd be just as happy with one more."

Kelly shot me a look. "You do realize you're rubbing padding, and that that isn't a real baby, don't you?"

I smirked, and removed my hand. "Don't change the subject."

She sighed. "I don't want another child. True, I don't regret having Lily for a second. I love that we have a baby that is both of ours. But it stops there. I'm getting too old for this."

"Come on, Kel! You still have some childbearing years left!" I protested.

She shot me another look. "You know what I mean."

I took her in my arms, stroked her hair, and kissed her. "You still look young and beautiful to _me_." She did. That woman never ceased to take my breath away.

She smiled. "Nice try, but _no_. We're not having another kid."

I pouted. I'd have to see if I could change her mind about that. I'd be happy even if we didn't have another one. As long as I had Kelly and our current children, nothing else mattered. However, I came from a big family, and therefore wanted a big one. I was hoping I could persuade her to change her mind on our honeymoon. I grinned at the thought of our honeymoon. I could hardly wait for _that_!

Anyway, work went smoothly enough. Kelly and I both enjoyed talking to the rest of the cast about the upcoming wedding. I think they were as excited as Kelly and I were!

The girls reused to talk about the dresses when I was around. Kelly didn't want me seeing any of the dresses until the day of the wedding.

"That's supposed to just be the wedding gown," I reminded her.

She shook her head. "I don't care! I want you to be completely surprised."

And that was that! There was no arguing with Kelly when it came to our wedding. I had discovered that very shortly after she had first started planning the wedding. However, she was willing to compromise. I thought we were going to have a problem when she was set on having the wedding on the beach. I wanted to have the wedding in a church, since my father is a minister after all, and since I grew up in a very Christian home.

She understood, however, and agreed to have our wedding in a church, and our reception on the beach. Anything after that, she'd ask me my opinion, but I'd tell her to pick whatever she wanted.

After all, what kind of flowers and whether we should have rice or birdseed for the guests to throw at us really wasn't all that important to me.

However, I do love my Italian food, and helped pick out the menu for the reception.

I could hardly wait to see Kelly in her dress though. I knew she would be the most beautiful thing I ever laid my eyes on. She already was.

The week was passing by fast, and soon, it was the day before the wedding. I wanted our last day before the wedding to be perfect. It was our last day as a single couple, and I wanted to enjoy it. Don't get me wrong. I knew being a married couple would be even better, but there was something almost sad thinking that we were just about done with our time as just dating. Though, I still planned on having date nights even when we were married.

Anyway, we had had the rehearsal dinner the night before. I wanted _this_ night to be just for Kelly and I.

I had the whole day planned. We'd start by taking the kids out for breakfast, and then Kelly's mother and mother's friend were going to take them to a movie and shopping. The kids were going to be able to pick out gifts for being in the wedding.

While they did that, I was going to take Kelly to the Hamptons. We would then have a picnic lunch on the beach. Luckily, it wasn't too cold of a day even though it was the end of November.

Anyway, the day went off just as planned. We had breakfast with the kids, and had a good time. Then, Kelly and I said goodbye to everyone, hopped in a rental car, and headed for The Hamptons. We already had a picnic basket packed and in the trunk with a cooler.

"I'm glad the sun is out, and that it's warm now, but I hope we don't freeze our tushes off once it gets later in the day," she said.

"I smiled at her quickly before turning my eyes back to the road. "Don't worry. If you get cold, I'll warm you up."

She smirked. "I bet you will!"

I grinned, then turned on the radio.

She crinkled her nose as Jay-Z's and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" came on. "I'm so sick of this! It came out almost two years ago, and it's still played way too many times," she said.

I turned the station. This time, it was _I_ who wrinkled my nose. Justin Bieber was a trend I would never understand. _"One less lonely girl."_ What did a kid his age know about love? Just _thinking_ about all the screaming tweens made my headache.

Kelly turned the station this time, and it was to the oldies station.

I smirked. "We're not _that_ old, Kel."

She smiled. "Ah, come on! Some of these songs it doesn't matter how old or young you are—they are classic and enjoyable."

I nodded. "True, in some cases I suppose."

"I love this one besides," Kelly said, settling back in her seat and starting to sing along to the Chiffons' "One Fine Day."

I smirked.

"What?" she asked, looking at me. "You don't like the song?"

I tried not to laugh, but my grin got even wider. "No, I like the song just fine."

"Then what?" she asked all innocently.

"Honestly?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the road.

"I would _hope_ you'd always be honest with me," she said, a hand over my arm.

I glanced at her for just a second. "Baby, you can't sing." I looked back at the road, the grin getting even bigger on my face.

She gasped, and gently swatted my arm. "Mean!" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Not everyone can be as good of a singer as you, you know. Besides, the kids never seem to mind when I sing to them."

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I burst into laughter.

She glared at me. "What this time?"

"Well, Hermés once complained to me that you can't sing. I told him to pretend he likes it so as not to hurt your feelings. He still comes up to me every once in a while, holding his ears and telling me that 'Mommy tried to sing again.'" I didn't want to be mean, but she did say she wanted me to always be honest.

Kelly looked out the window. "I can't believe you never told me that before, and that you had my son lie to me."

I gently rubbed her thigh. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but you told me now you wanted me to be honest, so... Besides, it won't hurt Hermés to learn to lie when it avoids hurting someone's feelings."

She looked over at me. "It's a little late for hurt feelings."

"Aw, Baby, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything. Besides, the girls love it when you sing to them. And Hermés just loves being around you. Otherwise, he wouldn't even let you sing to him." I felt bad for making her feel bad now.

She sighed. "Well, at least I know now."

"You're singing's still beautiful to _my_ ears," I told her in all honesty.

"Yeah, right!" she said.

I stroked her cheek. "It really is, Kel. I love you—even your voice."

She looked away. "I'm still angry."

Suddenly, "My Girl" by the Temptations began to play, and I began to sing along to it. When I got to the "my girl" part, I looked at her, and sang right to her.

Kelly laughed. "Stop it! Keep your eyes on the road."

"Do you forgive me?" I asked her.

She motioned towards the windshield. "You know I can never stay angry with you. Now put your eyes on the road before we get killed. Then we'd never get married and never have our honeymoon!"

"I definitely wouldn't want to miss that last part!" I said, putting my eyes back on the road.

"Haha..." Kelly said sarcastically. Regardless, through the rearview mirror, I saw her smirk.

I smirked too.

~Kelly~

I was a little hurt when Matthew revealed to me that I couldn't sing, and that my son had been pretending to like my singing. However, when Matthew said my singing was beautiful to him, it made me feel a lot better. Who cares if I wasn't a good singer anyway? I still had fun singing once in a while, and there was nothing wrong with that! And, I did enjoy Matthew singing to me. He knew how to make me forgive him. It was one of the many things he was good at.

Suddenly, "Chapel of Love" by the Dixie Cups came on.

Matt and I both looked at each other with grins on our faces.

"It's a good sign, Kel!" he said. "Sing it with me."

I hesitated for a moment. After all, having just been told I couldn't sing wasn't exactly a good initiative to start singing. But, as he started singing along, and as I thought of marrying him tomorrow, I didn't care how bad I might sound. I began to sing along with him, and soon we were having a blast, singing loudly, and just having a good time.

We laughed when the song was over.

He reached over and took my hand in his on my lap. He gently squeezed my hand. "I love you, Kel. I can hardly wait to marry you tomorrow."

I smiled at him, and kissed his hand. "And I love you and can hardly wait to marry _you_!"

We grinned at each other.

"Eyes on the road," I reminded him, nodding towards the windshield.

He smirked, but did as told.

"Kel, honey, wakeup! We're here."

I moaned, and my eyes slowly fluttered open when I felt Matthew gently shaking me awake. I had my body turned towards the door, and my head resting on the window. My seatbelt was pressing hard against my shoulder.

I sat up straight, and unlatched my seatbelt. I rubbed my arm. "How long was I out for?"

"Only the last half hour," Matthew answered. "You ready?" He looked over at me and smiled, his seatbelt already off.

I stretched and yawned. "Now I am. Let's go."

We got out of the car, and got the picnic basket and cooler out of the trunk.

I got the blanket out of the backseat and carried that and the picnic basket while Matthew carried the cooler.

We walked a little ways until we found a nice spot on the beach far enough away from the water so as not to be cold and so as for our food not to get wet.

I laid out the blanket, then we set the cooler and picnic basket down onto it. Next, Matthew sat down, and I sat down next to him.

He took me into his arms, and I rested my head against his shoulder as we looked out into the ocean. There were only a few other groups of people at the beach, and they weren't very close to our spot. It was very peaceful. Right then, there was nowhere else I'd rather be.

"Good?" Matthew asked me after feeding me the last forkful of my cheesecake.

I licked my lips. "Delicious. You?" I fed him the last piece of his. "Delicious, but not as delicious as you," he said after swallowing. He licked his lips, then leaned in and kissed me.

I smiled, and kissed him in return, his face between my hands.

"So, what should we do now?" he asked once we broke the kiss, a grin on his face.

I stretched. "Well, it's getting a little cold now. Maybe we should just head home and relax."

"But we just got here! I say we go swimming. It's not _that_ cold." He stood up and extended his hand to me.

I took it, and stood up with him. "No way! It's way too cold to even _think_ of swimming!"

He grinned. "Ah, come on! You act like it's winter!"

"It will be in a few weeks," I reminded him.

"Well, it's not winter yet!" He looked around, and when he saw that no one was left at the beach except for an old man and his dog miles down the beach, he slipped off everything but his underwear, and ran down towards the water.

I gasped. "Matthew, what are you doing? You're going to freeze your tush off! Get back here! It's too cold!"

But, he ignored me of course, and ran into the water. "Woo! You should get in here, Kel. the water's just fine!"

"Yeah, right!" I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

He splashed around in the water, and I watched him in amusement.

After a few minutes, he came out of the water.

"Too cold for you?" I asked with a satisfied smirk.

"Nope! I just came to get you," he said.

"What are you talking abou—Matthew, no! Don't!" I screamed as he picked me up and carried me into the water.

"Stop it!" I said, kicking and squirming to get down.

He held me tightly in place, and brought me out into the water. "Fine, I'll put you down," he said with a huge, smug grin on his face.

"Wait, Matthew, don't you dare, I—" I screamed as he set me down.

He laughed. "What? You wanted me to put you down, and I did!"

I gasped. I could hardly believe he had done that! I took some water and splashed him in the face with it.

He gasped. "Okay, that _is_ cold."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "See? I told you, you Jerk!"

He splashed me hard, and I gasped at the sudden shock of cold. He grinned. "That's what you get for calling me a jerk!"

My mouth dropped open in surprise. "Oh, it is on!"

It was then a full-on splash war. For the next five minutes, we splashed around, laughing like children. He then picked me up, twirled me around, and kissed me. "I'm getting cold now. He rested his forehead against mine, and kissed me again. "Let's go home."

I kissed him in return, his face between my hands, and my forehead still against his. "But we're both wet now."

He smiled. "My clothes are still dry on the sand. Feel free to take yours off. I don't mind."

I smirked. "Oh yeah, we'd have a heck of a time trying to explain to my mother and the kids where my clothes went."

He grinned too. "All right, all right! You can put the blanket around you."

He carried me out of the water, and gently set me back down so that he could redress while I wrapped the blanket around me.

"I'm sorry, Kel. I shouldn't have gotten you wet." He smirked. "I never thought I'd be apologizing for getting you wet!" He then teased.

I playfully swatted him. "Stop!"

"Mm, you usually ask me _not_ to stop when I'm getting you wet," he quipped.

I blushed and giggled, a little embarrassed. "Matthew, I mean it!"

He laughed too. "All right, all right, I'm sorry. Let's go." He grabbed the cooler, then put his free arm around me.

I put my free arm around him and grabbed the picnic basket with the other hand. Then, we were off to the car.

We put the cooler and picnic basket in the trunk, then he opened my door for me, and helped me in.

I smiled. He may have been a jerk, bringing me into the water, but I'll admit it, it was fun.

He got into the car and turned the heat up for me. "Good?" he asked.

I smiled, and kissed his cheek. "It's will be." And, at least chivalry wasn't dead.

He took my hand in his as he drove us away with his free hand.

I took his hand and kissed it, then I stroked it with my thumb, looked out the window, and smiled as I thought of how lucky I truly was. Tomorrow _really_ couldn't come soon enough!

~Matthew~

It had indeed been the perfect day. I had enjoyed having breakfast with the kids, and the beach was just heaven on earth. It was the perfect last day as a single couple. When we got home, Kelly took a warm shower, which I would have joined her in had the kids and her mother not been back home.

She changed into dry clothes, and I had to of course change into dry underwear and pants (they had gotten wet because of my underwear).

"I don't even want to know," Kelly's mother had said when we walked in.

"Good, cuz I don't want to tell you," Kelly quipped.

I just smirked, slightly embarrassed.

Anyway, afterwards, we all went to the park with the kids, and then had dinner at Johnny Rocket's.

After that, we played board games at home. One might call that boring, but for me, with my family, it was one of the best time's we've had.

After that, Kelly's mom helped us get the kids ready for bed, and I sang to all three of them.

Kelly's mother then went off to the guest bedroom that she was staying in. She had to call her new boyfriend, who was still in LA. He had had to work, and couldn't make it to the wedding. He had sent a two-hundred-dollar check back with Kelly's mother to make up for it. He was a very generous and kind man. I was glad her mother had found such a man.

Anyway, once the kids were all in bed, Kelly and I were on _our_ bed, kissing.

I ran my hand up her shirt with a moan. I wanted her so badly.

She smiled. "I think now would be a good time for you to go back to the hotel."

I groaned. "You're kidding me!"

She shook her head. "The groom is not supposed to see the bride before the wedding."

"But we have a few hours before midnight!" I protested.

She nodded. "I know, but, if you stay, we both know it's going to lead to making love."

"Um, that's kind of the idea," I said, letting my hand slide a little further up her shirt.

She took my wrist, and gently pulled my hand out. "I don't want to until we're married."

I smirked. "I think it's a little late for that, Kel."

She playfully swatted me. "You know what I mean!"

"But why?" I wined.

"I think it would be more romantic," she said simply. "Please?"

I sighed. "Oh, fine! But we are definitely not waiting until the honeymoon to make love again!" We had to wait a day after the wedding for the honeymoon. We would fly out to Miami that evening, and catch our cruise ship the next morning. We were going to the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and Cozumel.

She kissed me. "You're parents will be in in a couple hours anyway." They were taking a late flight to New York, and I was supposed to pick them up from the airport and bring them back to my hotel.

I kissed her. "All right. In a minute. Just a few more kisses."

"Just a few more," she agreed.

We continued kissing until I started trying for more again, then she kicked me out.

"You're no fun!" I said.

"I'll make it up to you tomorrow. Trust me," she said.

I shivered at the thought. "You better!" I kissed her again.

She kissed me back for just a moment, then gently pushed me out the door. "Go!"

"Tell your mother I said goodnight! I said."

"I will. Go!" She urged.

I sighed, then left the house. Okay, today stopped being fun. Was it tomorrow yet?

I headed down the street, glad that the hotel was only a couple blocks away. I was in major need of a cold shower beforeI had to pick up my parents.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: I hope this isn't too boring for you guys so far. I promise the real story will start in Chapter 5. I just didn't want to put the wedding, reception, and wedding night all into one chapter. The honeymoon will be here soon (and so will the sex) I promise you! ;) Also, I have a new story based on the 7 deadly sins up called I Wanna Be Bad. Make sure you have the search on all ratings in order for it to show up! Thank you! -Xoxo -Rufly Girl_

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 3: What You Like**_

~Matthew~

The day of the wedding had finally arrived. The morning had gone by fast. I had woken up, gotten ready for the day, had a quick breakfast, then headed to get Aven from her mother. It was kind of funny actually, if you thought about it. I knew Kelly was probably going to take an hour getting ready at _least_, since she was the bride. It had only taken me a half hour tops. The groom had it easy—there wasn't much to do to get ready.

When I arrived at Naama's she had Aven all set in her dress.

"Thanks," I said. "You didn't have to get her ready. I could have." I felt bad. Here my ex-wife was getting our daughter ready for my wedding. The wedding where I'd be marrying the woman I cheated on her with.

Naama shrugged. "It's all right. It didn't make much sense to put anything else on her today when it would just have to come right back off."

"Still, I know this must be hard on you. I wasn't exactly the world's greatest husband to you." I looked down at the floor. I still felt like an ass for the way I had treated her.

"It's fine. Yehuda and I are engaged, and we're in love. I love him on a deeper level than I ever loved you even." She paused. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to be mean or spiteful."

I held my hands up. "Don't even worry about it. Even if you did, I'd deserve it."

She shook her head. "I've forgiven you, so it's time for you to forgive yourself." She smiled. "Aven's going to make a beautiful flower girl. And I'm not just saying that because I'm her mother!" She grinned wider.

I grinned too. "Yes, she is!" I picked Aven up and kissed her cheek. "Good morning, beautiful. Are you ready to help Daddy get married?"

"To Kelly?" she asked.

"No, to Santa Clause!" I joked.

She giggled. "You're silly, Daddy."

I kissed her cheek again, and she smiled some more.

Naama smiled as well. "I'll want to see the video of her walking down the aisle!"

"You know, you can come if you want. There's room for both you and Yehuda." I hoped I wasn't being insensitive, but she really did seem to be over me. I didn't want to be rude by not inviting her.

She shook her head. "Thanks, but I'll pass. It's still kind of weird for me. I'm sorry. I'm more than happy with Yehuda, but he is at work, and to go by myself would be just..." She trailed off.

I nodded, understanding completely. "Weird. I get it."

"Thanks," she said with her sweet smile.

I still felt like a jerk for hurting her, and knew I probably always would. But I was in love with Kelly now, and Naama was in love with Yehuda. Things had worked out for the best anyway.

Aven and I said our goodbyes to Naama, then we headed to the church. I was just going to meet my parents there. I felt guilty even being around my father. Being a Baptist minister, he certainly hadn't approved of my divorce, nor had he approved of me cheating of course. But he, like Naama, had forgiven me, and I was just grateful that he was coming to my second wedding. I hadn't even asked him to marry Kelly and me. It was more convenient for us to be married by a local minister anyway since we had pre-marriage pastoral meetings we had to attend. Besides, I didn't want to have to ask my father to marry Kelly and I since he was not so pleased with the circumstances of us getting together. Don't get me wrong—he loved Kelly. It was more of a 'love the sinner, hate the sin' type of thing. However, I think he was slowly but surely putting the past behind us. I was relieved to say the least.

When I arrived at the church, my mother was right there to greet met. "Kelly's upstairs changing. Her mother and the rest of the wedding party are there with her. The nanny is with Helena and Lily, getting them ready in another room so that Kelly can concentrate soully on getting herself ready. Want me to bring Aven up to her sisters?"

"I could go," I offered, hoping my mother wouldn't catch on.

She shot me a look. "Nice try, Matthew. You know the bride isn't supposed to see the groom before the wedding. I know you. I know you'll try to sneak a peak at Kelly along the way."

I tried a different rout. "We're Christian's, Mom. We don't believe in superstitions."

She sighed. "Yeah, well, believing it or not, Kelly wouldn't want to see you until she is walking down the aisle to you. It's a bride thing. Don't you want to respect her wishes?"

My mother had won. I sighed in defeat. "Of course I do!"

My mother smiled. "Relax! You'll see her in a few. You just go take your place at the head of the church."

I kissed Aven's cheek. "I'll see you in a bit, okay? You're going to go with grandma to see your sisters."

Aven kissed my cheek in return. "Okay, Daddy. I love you!"

My heart melted, and my eyes watered just a bit. I loved her so much! Kelly and our children were my world. "I love you too!" I shook her little hand, then she went off with my mother.

I then headed to the head of the church where Ed, Chase, Connor, Sebastian, and Penn were already waiting.

"There he is!" Penn pat my back. "I thought you'd be early since you're so eager to marry Kelly."

I grinned, and placed my arm over his shoulders. "I _am_ eager to marry her, but I had to pick up Aven first."

"I can't wait to see her. I bet she looks so cute!" Sebastian said.

I grinned like the proud father I was. "She does! Wait 'till you see her. She's up with her sisters now."

"Daddy, are you ready to marry Mommy?" Hermés asked, coming up to me then, and wrapping an arm around my leg.

I chuckled, and gently ran my hand over his hair. "You bet I am!"

He smiled up at me, and I smiled back down at him.

I sighed. Now all I needed was Kelly. I could hardly wait to see her walking down that aisle!

~Kelly~

I looked in the mirror and smiled. I looked exactly the way I wanted to look. I was in love with my gown. It was white, but I didn't care. My love for Matthew was still pure, despite the fact that I certainly wasn't a virgin anymore. I didn't have a veil that covered my face, but it was beautiful. My hair was up in curls held with bobby pins and my veil, which had a silver tiara decorated with pearls. The veil part of it hung down to my lower back. The dress itself was white with capped sleeves made of lace. The rest of the dress was made of silk with beading around the bodice. The waist was cinched together at the left side, and the beads traveled from the bodice in a vine-like pattern down to about five inches from the bottom of the dress.

"All right, now it's time for your accessaries!" Taylor said. She brought over a medium-sized blue velvet box. "This isn't your something blue—what's inside is though." She grinned.

I grinned too, and took the box from her.

"It's from all of us girls, minus your mother," Taylor added, motioning to herself, then Blake, Leighton, and Jessica, who were my bridesmaids.

I smiled, then opened the box. I gasped when I saw two beautiful silver and sapphire teardrop earrings. "They're beautiful!" I gasped.

"They're real, in case you're wondering," Leighton said with a grin and a wink.

I looked at them. "You guys spent too much!" I felt bad. "Maybe you should take them back after I wear them for the wedding."

Blake shook her head. "What? Are you kidding me? No way! It wasn't much with the four of us chipping in. Besides, they are a gift!"

Jessica nodded. "If you don't accept them, we'll be insulted." She motioned to herself and her coworkers, who all nodded in agreement.

I sighed. "Well, I guess I have no choice but to keep them, huh?" I put them on. "Thank you, girls. They're beautiful."

The girls all grinned. "You're welcome!" they said in unison.

"And the best part is, they can count for your something blue _and_ your something new," Taylor said with a wink.

I laughed. "Indeed they will!" I also had a diamond tennis bracelet that I was wearing. Matthew had given it to me a few days earlier for my something new. So now I had double the luck when it came to the something new I needed!

It was my mother's turn to give me something next. She handed me an old necklace that I knew all too well. "Mom, your necklace? Are you sure?"

My mother nodded. "My parents gave it to me on my wedding day, and now I want to give it to you on yours. I never really liked your first two husbands all that much, so I didn't give it to you then. But Matthew is different. I actually _like_ him, and I just know this will be the one marriage that sticks!"

I had tears in my eyes. I was so touched. I hugged her, and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Mom! This means so much to me!"

She kissed my cheek in return. "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered.

"Let me put it on you," my mother said

I nodded, and let her latch it around my neck. I then touched it, and smiled at myself in it in the mirror. And so I had my something old. It was a four-string pearl necklace with a bigger pearl in the center of each string. The last string hung just slightly lower that the first three. It was breathtaking. It even went with the pearls on my tiara! I felt like a princess. I really did.

"I just need something borrowed now," I said, looking around the room.

"Here." Jessica took out a small travel bottle of her Ralph Lauren Romance perfume. "You can borrow some." She grinned.

I usually didn't wear much perfume, but I needed something borrowed. Besides, it smelled good. "Good idea. Thanks!" I said as I took it from her and squirted some onto my neck and wrists.

I handed the bottle back to her and she put it in her purse.

"Well, now that she is all ready, I think it's about time we all head down. I hope it's not weird for your maid of honor to also give you away!" my mother said.

I grinned. "Na! Besides, it's _my_ wedding. Who cares if it's weird?"

"Good luck! We'll be down waiting for you!" Leighton said.

The girls hugged me, and then headed down.

"You nervous?" my mother asked me.

I shook my head and smiled. "Nope! I'm marrying the man of my dreams. I'm more eager than anything."

She smiled as well, and hugged me. "I'm proud of you, you know. You went for what you wanted and you got it!"

"Even if it wasn't in the most moral of ways?" I asked.

My mother shrugged. "He obviously wanted you too. If he was willing to cheat to be with you, then you did Naama a favor by letting her know. Now she is with a man who loves her and only her. No woman deserves any less!"

I nodded. "True."

We sat there for just a moment, then we got the signal that it was time.

I stood up, and took my mother's offered arm.

"Are you ready?" my mother asked with a knowing smile.

I smiled in return. "I've never been more ready!"

My mother nodded. "Let's go then!"

I followed her to the door. I stopped and gave myself one final look in the mirror. It was the last time I'd see myself before becoming Matthew's wife. The next time I looked, I'd be Kelly Settle. With an even bigger smile, I turned and headed out of the room with my mother, never looking back again.

~Matthew~

The music began, and I watched as the bridesmaids came down the aisle. Next was the girls. They were so adorable! Helena and Aven were at Lily's sides. All three girls had a small basket of red rose petals that they spread along the aisle as they walked down. Lily was giggling as she did so, which of course made everybody else giggle.

Once they got up front, I kissed all three of them on the cheek, then the nanny took them to sit in the front pew with her and my parents.

Finally, the wedding march began, and there was Kelly. Even from the distance she was at, I was blown away by her beauty.

Her mother walked her down the aisle, and I instantly felt a smile appear on my face. This was it! We were finally going to get married.

When Kelly got to me, her mother kisser her cheek, then went to sit with the girls.

The minister began the sermon then. When he asked who was giving the bride away, Kelly's mother stood up and announced that she was.

Once Kelly's mother was seated again, the wedding continued.

We got to our vows, and I was to go first. Kelly and I had written our own vows. I was a little nervous, but when I looked into Kelly's beautiful eyes, all my fears disappeared, as corny as that might sound.

I took her hands in mine, looked into her eyes, and said what was in my heart. "First off, I just want to say you look even more breathtakingly beautiful than you usually do. You know how I always consider our girls princesses? Well, I consider you my queen. You are everything I could ever dream of, and sometimes I wonder what I've done to deserve someone as beautiful, kind, and wonderful as you. All I know is that I thank God every day for you, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life."

Kelly had tears in her eyes. She gently stroked my cheek.

"Kelly, you may state your vows now," the minister said to her.

Kelly stroked some hair out of my eyes, then gave her vows. "Matthew, it's funny you called me your queen because I was just thinking how I felt like a princess in this dress. But, really, you do make me feel better than a princess. You truly do make me feel like a queen. I am the luckiest woman on earth to have found you. And, I was going to say you're my prince charming, but you really are my King. Well, besides God." Kelly paused to smile at my father.

My father smiled in return and gave her a polite nod.

Kelly turned back to me and continued. "I thank God every day for you too, and, like you, I will continue to for the rest of my life. Not to steal your vows or anything." We smiled at each other. "I was attracted to you the moment I first laid eyes on you. I remember thinking, Wow! At least I have someone hot to work with."

Everyone chuckled, and I grinned so wide my face hurt. I barely felt the pain.

"Then, after a few years, I realized how much I really wanted you as more than just a coworker. More than just a friend even. I may not have made you mine in the most honorable way, but I'm just so grateful that I have you now. That's all that matters. Besides my kids, you're all I could ever ask God for. I don't need anything else as long as I have you and our family."

I wanted to kiss her so badly, but I knew I couldn't. Not yet.

The minister had us light a candle together as a symbol of our united love. We were as one.

"Now, before I pronounce you husband and wife, Kelly, Matthew has a song he would like to sing to you," the minister said to Kelly.

Kelly looked at me in surprise. I hadn't told her about that part.

I grinned at her. "I wanted to write you a song for our wedding, but nothing would come to me. Then, I came across this song by accident when someone was blasting it at the park a couple weeks ago. As soon as I heard the lyrics, I knew I had to sing it for you because it's exactly how I feel about you. It's called 'What You Like,' and it's by Darren Hayes."

Kelly smiled.

Penn handed me my guitar, and I began to play, looking in Kelly's eyes the whole time. I just hoped she liked the song despite the fact that I hadn't written it.

~Kelly~

I was so surprised that Matthew was going to sing to me. Though, thinking back on it, I don't know why I was so surprised. He loved to sing, and he was always writing songs for the girls. I listened to the lyrics. I didn't care if he didn't write it. Just that he had taken thought as to what song to sing to me meant everything in the world.

_"I want to thank you my friend for making me feel worthwhile. Sweeter than the honey of your lips and kindness in your smile. Hand-in-hand we float across the room. Explosion deep inside. And cheek to cheek there's clouds under my feet. It's only you and I." _

I wanted to kiss him right then and there, the lyrics were so sweet. I gave him my sweetest smile as he sang the chorus.

_"Please tell me what you like. Does that feel nice? Give me a sign. If you love it I can do it again. We've got the rest of the night to get it right. Please tell me what you like. If that feels nice, give me a sign. If you love it I can do it again. We've got the rest of our lives to get it right."_

I stroked his cheek as he continued on to the second verse.

"_Looking back on lonely nights. Searching for love again. I never knew my journey began and ended with you my friend. Softer than your butterfly kisses, and stronger than my desire. I wanna thank you my friend for making me feel alive."_

I had tears in my eyes again. The lyrics fit us so well! He sang the chorus again, then went into the bridge.

_"I'll never mess it up again. Won't let it slip like grains of sand through careless fingertips because I'm a man who understands. Though burned by the fire, I can learn to feel the light again and listen I can hear your demands. I know I can do it give me one more chance. Baby, here I am."_

The lyrics didn't currently fit us, but it didn't make the tears go away. I remembered how he had not wanted to leave his wife for me at first. I felt like this was in answer to that.

Two more times singing the chorus, and the song was over.

Penn took the guitar back from Matthew, and Matthew took my hands in his.

"That was beautiful!" I said. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, tears in his own eyes.

"Well, with that being said, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride," the minister said, his hands clasped and a smile on his face.

Everyone cheered as Matthew and I grabbed each other and kissed passionately. It felt so good to finally be his wife! So long I had waited for this. Now, I finally had it—no more waiting.

We broke the kiss and grinned at each other as the minister spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Matthew and Kelly Settle!"

"Man that sounds good!" Matthew said.

"You can say that again!" I said as we took hands and bowed for our adoring family and friends.

"Man that sounds good!" he repeated as a joke.

I smirked.

We headed out of the church hand-in-hand the whole way, and when we got outside of the church, we kissed at the top of the stairs, our faces in each other's hands.

"I love you so much!" Matthew said to me.

"And I love you," I told him.

Our eyes lowered, and we kissed before running down the stairs and getting in our waiting limo to head to the Hamptons, where our reception would be. I could hardly wait! For the sooner our reception was over, the sooner our wedding night could begin.

With that last thought, I sat in Matthew's lap, and pulled him in for another passionate kiss. My dreams were finally coming true. It was about time! This would be the marriage that stuck. I had no doubt in my mind.


	4. Chapter 4

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 4: Collide**_

~Kelly~

We had just finished dinner, and it was about time to start thinking about cutting the cake.

_Clink, clink, clink!_

Matthew and I looked at each other and grinned. All through dinner, our guests kept clinking their glasses, wanting us to kiss. Not that either of us minded a bit. We kissed, causing out guests to "aw" and cheer.

"All right, all right, as much as I love kissing my wife, I think it's about time to cut the cake. I'm starved!" Matthew said to our guests as he stood up. He took my hand and helped me up as well.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're starved? How can you be starved when we just had dinner?"

"Easy!" He grinned and me, and rubbed his stomach. "The dinner compartment of my stomach might be full, but the dessert compartment is completely empty."

I rolled my eyes, but shook my head and grinned. He may have been a grown man, but he was still adorable.

We walked over to the cake and took the cake cutting knife together. Then, we cut the cake together, cutting two slices.

I picked up once slice, and he picked up the other, then we fed each other. Well, I fed him after smearing some frosting on his nose of course.

He got me back real good. Most husbands would just get a little frosting their wife's nose or mouth. Not mine. Mine chose to smear the cake over my whole face.

I gasped, and everyone laughed.

I was about to protest, but he started licking the frosting off my face. He grinned at me, and licked his lips after licking a my left cheek. "Mm. It tastes even better on you!"

"I can't believe you!" I said. Then, before he could respond, I took the slice of cake from his hands, and smashed the rest of it all over _his_ face.

He gasped, and our guests laughed harder.

Then, with a smirk, I licked up his left cheek. "Mm," I said in his ear. "Actually, I prefer to eat it off _you_."

"If you're going to do that, I prefer to be naked and have the cake lower," he teased.

I playfully pushed him. "You're bad!" I grabbed a stack of napkins, cleaned my hands off, then began to clean his face off.

He wiped his hands clean, then grabbed some more napkins and cleaned my face for me.

"All right, I think you guys should leave the cake cutting to the professionals!" the caterer teased us.

I nodded. "I think you're right!"

"I _know_ you are," Matthew said to him with a nod.

The caterer grinned, and Matthew and I took our seats back at our table.

"My face is probably still sticky," I said.

"It's okay." Matthew brushed his lips against my ear. "We can shower together tonight."

I looked at him and smiled as I gently pushed some hair out of his eyes. "Sounds like a plan." I grinned. I could hardly wait to shower with my husband! It felt so good to call him that. I was finally able to. It was about time!

~Matthew~

"Look what the girls are doing, Mommy!" Hermés said, to Kelly, pointing to Aven and Helena. Aven was sitting next to me in her booster seat with Helena on her other side, and the nanny on Helena's other side. Lily was sitting next to Kelly in her high chair. On Lily's other side was Kelly's mother Ann, and Hermés was sitting on Ann's other side. Aven and Helena were smearing cake on each other's face and giggling.

"Like Mommy and Daddy!" Helena said between giggles. She had learned from Hermés to call me Daddy as well.

Aven laughed and clapped her hands, which caused Lily to laugh and clap her hands as well. Lily's face was also covered in cake, but only because she was a messy eater, being only one.

Ann smirked at us. "You two set a bad example," she teased with a wink.

"I'll clean them off," Kelly said with a smile.

"No! We got them!" Ann said, nodding towards the nanny, who also nodded.

"Thanks," Kelly and I said as they took Aven, Helena, and Lily to get cleaned off.

Kelly and I looked at each other and laughed.

"Oops!" Kelly said with a shrug.

"You started it," I joked.

She gasped. "Oh, don't even try to put that one on me! I only smeared it on your nose a little until you took the initiative to smear it all over my face!"

I held up my hands. "All right, all right. We're both to blame. We have to remember that monkey see, monkey do."

Kelly nodded. "That we do."

We grinned at each other.

Ten minutes later, the girls were wiped off, and we were all out on the makeshift dance floor, which really was just an empty area of the beach, right by the water.

"All right, let's let the bride and groom have the first dance!" Ann said.

Everyone agreed, and stepped aside so that Kelly and I could have our dance. I had already told the DJ what song I wanted him to play. I figured it fit Kelly and I perfectly after all we had gone through to be together. It was "Collide" by Howie Day. Earlier when I had suggested the song, Kelly had listened to it, and agreed with me that it was definitely a good song for "our song."

And so the song began, I took her hand and we began to dance.

I placed my hand over her waist, and took her hand with my free hand. We looked into each other's eyes and smiled, and I felt my heart swell with happiness. She was finally my wife. It was about darn time! Her smile was so beautiful. It went with her beautiful eyes. Come to think of it, everything was perfect about her. My eyes never left hers as I let the music wash over us.

_The dawn is breaking. A light shining through. You're barely waking, and I'm tangled up in you. Yeah. I'm open, you're closed. Where I follow, you'll go. I worry I won't see your face light up again. Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills my mind I somehow find you and I collide._

I loved how she looked when I'd wake up to her in my arms. I wished I had never made her sad when I chose my wife over her at first.

_I'm quiet you know. You make a first impression. I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind. Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the stars refuse to shine. Out of the back you fall in time. I somehow find you and I collide._

Every time I saw her, it was like seeing her for the first time, for her beauty took my breath away every time I saw her. She was constantly making a first impression on me, with each impression better than the last.

_ Don't stop here. I lost my place. I'm close behind. Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills your mind, you finally find you and I collide._

I knew that no matter how many fights we might have in our marriage, we'd always come back to each other. It was no way to live otherwise.

_ You finally find you and I collide. You finally find you and I collide._

The song ended, and we kissed, causing every one to "aw" and cheer yet again.

We grinned at each other.

"I love you so much Mrs. Settle," I told her.

"Gosh I love hearing that!" she said with a grin.

I grinned wider and repeated. "Kelly Settle."

She pulled me in for another kiss, and the music changed to something more up-tempo. We then began to dance as others started to dance as well.

Dancing lasted about a half hour. Lily was so adorable. I picked her up and twirled around with her in my arms. She giggled so hard she had tears in her eyes. I kissed her little cheek. I loved her so much! Of course I didn't leave Aven or Helena out. They wanted to try that too once they saw how much fun Lily was having. They enjoyed it just as much as she had, and I finally had to tell them I was too dizzy to do it anymore after the fifth time of them asking me to "do it again."

Hermés danced with Kelly. He was actually getting tall enough that Kelly didn't even need to bend down too much. Of course, she just took his hands in hers as they swung their hands side to side, their bodies doing the same. She even twirled Hermés under her arm, which Hermés thought was the funniest thing.

After the dancing, it was time for the throwing of the guarder and the bouquet.

Kelly sat down on a chair and pulled her dress up far enough for me to see the guarder. I raised my eyebrows up and down suggestively at her. "I don't know, I kind of like this on you."

"Shut up and take it off!" she teased.

I grinned. "With pleasure!" I slid it off her as everyone egged me on. Then, I turned my back on the single guys who had already flocked together. "Ready? One. Two. Three!" I tossed the guarder, then turned and saw that Chase had caught it.

Penn and Ed clapped him on the back in congratulations.

Chase grinned. "Now I just need to find a girl," he joked.

"All right, ladies! Line up please!" Kelly said.

"All ready done!" Blake said. "You know us women—we jump at the chance of marriage!" she joked.

"Some of us anyway," Leighton corrected. She wasn't the type of girl that liked settling down. At least not at the moment.

Kelly smiled, her back turned towards the girls. "All right. Here is comes!" She tossed the bouquet.

"Yay!" Ann squealed when she caught it.

Kelly turned around, and grinned at her mother. "Congratulations, Mom! You'll have to be sure to tell Gary about your catch," she said with a wink, in reference to her mother's boyfriend.

Ann grinned. "Oh, I plan on it! Maybe he'll finally take the hint."

Kelly laughed.

Finally, the reception was over, and we said our goodbyes. It was hard saying goodbye to the kids. I knew Hermés understood that Kelly and I were going to be on our honeymoon, but the girls cried a little when they found out that Kelly and I would be away for a week.

"Don't cry, Sweeties! You're going to stay with Grandma for a week, then we'll be back. I promise!" Kelly said to Helena and Lily.

"I'm going to take you guys to Build-A Bear while they are gone and you can get anything you'd like! All of you!" Ann promised them and Hermés.

"And you'll be staying with Mommy and Yehuda. They'll take good care of you until I get back. I'll even bring you a present back!" I promised Aven.

"We'll bring you _all_ presents back, and we'll call you every night!" Kelly added.

I nodded my agreement.

This calmed down the kids.

So, after a lot of hugs and kisses, Kelly and I finally left.

Yehuda was going to pick Aven up on the way home from work. Ann was going to stay with her until he got there, which would be at any time.

Everyone through rice at us as we got back into the limo.

Kelly and I started making out the second we were in the limo with the doors shut and the divider up. We barely even noticed the limo had been decorated on the outside. We were just so eager to be together. I honestly don't know how me made it to the airport without making love. We did though, thankfully.

The driver had already been prepaid and tipped, so we said goodbye to the driver, and thanked him when he wished us his congratulations and handed us our luggage that we had had him put in the trunk before the wedding to save time.

We then got checked in and had our luggage checked in as well. Then, we had to wait an hour before our flight arrived, but we passed the time by buying magazines and decent snacks for the plane. Also, a little time was spent making out in the nearly empty airport lounge to some horrible rendition of Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" done by some jazz quartet. All the members looked so old that they could drop dead and any second and disintegrate. Despite the bad music, however, it was the best part of waiting. In fact, I was able to tune the music out after just a few kisses from my wife. I loved calling her that!

Finally, our flight was called, and we were able to board. I was glad to be in our first class seats, which were two seats next to each other. There was none of that three seat crap, so we didn't have to sit next to anyone. I let Kelly have the window seat, and I took the aisle. I liked more room to stretch my legs out anyway.

The flight started off all right. It was only a four hour flight, but I did start to get a little bored at one point.

I turned to Kelly, who was reading one of her magazines. I gently nudged her. "Hey."

"Hm?" she asked without looking up from her magazine.

"Have you ever joined the mile high club?" I murmured just loud enough so that she could hear me.

She glanced at me with a slight smile. "No. Airplane bathrooms are far too small for that. Besides, I'd be afraid someone would hear me."

"I never have either, but I always wanted to try it. Are you sure you don't want to try? We can make do with what room we have. And, I can cover your mouth if it helps." I wriggled my eyebrows up and down suggestively. "What do you say?"

She smirked at me. "Nice try, but I think I'll stick to my magazine for now. I do not want our first time as a married couple to be in an airplane."

I pouted. She had a point though. "Oh, fine."

She smiled, and gently placed her hand overtop of my thigh. She gave it a gentle rub. "Don't worry. Tonight will be worth the wait."

I smiled at her as well. "It better be!" I said, though I knew without a doubt it most definitely would be. Kelly was more than worth the wait.

~Kelly~

"You're so beautiful," Matthew said as he ran his hands over my now naked body. It hadn't taken either of us long to get the other undressed once we had arrived at the hotel and gotten checked in. Being married made us want the other even more it seemed. At least, that's how it was for me.

We had backed into the room kissing, and once he had kicked the door shut behind us (never ceasing in his kissing of me), we started to undress. After that, he gently threw me down onto my back on the bed, and, well... It didn't take long to get fully naked after that.

I smirked. "And you're just noticing that now?"

He grinned. "You seem even more beautiful now that we're married."

"Good answer," I said, pulling him in for a kiss.

"And, do you think I'm even better looking now that you married me?" he asked once we broke the kiss.

I put a finger to my lips as it trying to think. "Well, I never really thought you were all that great looking _before_ we got married, so..."

"Oh, _nice_!" he said, laying down on his back. He smiled. "Then I guess you really don't need me for anything right now."

I propped myself up on my elbow and faced him. I stroked his hair with my free hand. "You know I've always found you incredibly sexy. Even when you were married I just couldn't stand to let anyone else have you. And, now that we're married, I just want to make love with you the whole damn night! That is how incredibly sexy I find you."

He smiled, then stroked some hair out of my eyes, and pulled me in for a slow and passionate kiss. Soon, he was on top of me, and our kisses turned harder; more intensified.

I whisper moaned. "Make love to your wife," I ordered. I loved calling myself his wife. I knew it would never get old.

He kissed me again, his eyes lowered in the way that I loved. "With pleasure!"

I grinned, and we kissed again, then I closed my eyes as he began making love to me. I whisper moaned again. He was so amazing at pleasing me.

His hands ran over my breasts and he kissed me, sending even more pleasure though the nerves in my body.

His lips went to my breasts as we moved together as one.

It was almost as if our bodies were choreographed or synchronized. We just went to perfect together.

He moves his lips up my neck and to my ear. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," I whispered.

We kissed some more as we continued to make love.

I actually cried when we climaxed, as silly as that may sound.

"What's wrong? I didn't hurt you, did I?" Matthew asked, gently stroking my cheek.

I shook my head and smiled. "No. Quite the opposite, actually. I'm just so happy. We've finally made love as husband and wife. It feels more special for some reason."

He smiled, then wiped my tears away with his thumbs, and kissed my cheek. "That's because it _is_. I'm now officially yours, and you're officially mine."

I laughed, but not in a "ha, ha, that's funny" sort of way. It was more of a giddy laugh.

We kissed some more, then I lay in his arms.

He kissed the to of my head and held me close in the dark. This was most definitely my happy place. I had finally made it there, and now that I was there, I never planned on leaving. Well, not his arms. That would be kind of difficult to never leave his arms, as nice as it would be to stay in them all the time. I smiled at the thought, then cuddled closer to him. But I never had to live without him again, and that made my world happy.

~Matthew~

As I held Kelly in my arms, I kissed her again even though I knew she was long since asleep. I couldn't get myself to sleep, even though I knew I had to get up early the next morning to catch the ship. She was my wife. My wife! I felt so giddy; like I was a teenager in love. I had made mistakes in my other marriage, but I wasn't going to with this one. No. I would love Kelly and treat her right no matter what! I finally had a sure thing in my life, and this time, with God as my witness, I was not going to do anything to screw it up. I loved her far too much to ever screw it up, and I couldn't live without her. I just hoped I never had to.

Well, tomorrow was another day to prove my love for her, and I intended on doing just that!

I kissed the top of her head one more time, then closed my eyes, and let sleep overtake me.


	5. Chapter 5

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 5: I Wanna Sex You Up**_

~Matthew~

The next morning we took showers (separate so as not to miss our ship), and did what we had to do to get ready for the day. Then we were off to the ship. There was a free shuttle to the ship from our hotel, so we were in good shape there.

I won't bore you with the details, but it seemed to take forever by the time we got onto the cruise. We had to wait in line, then check in and go through security. We checked our bags in, then finally were able to head up and see our room.

I opened the door, then picked up Kelly and carried her over the threshold.

She giggled. "I don't think you're supposed to do that until we're home."

I shrugged. "It's good practice. Besides, I can set you down where I wanna set you down. This case it being the bed of course." I grinned.

She rolled her eyes. "You know we cant do that quite yet. We have to head up to the Atlantic deck for the emergency drill incase they need us to evacuate the ship. Then there is the set sale party. Besides, we just got here!"

I set her down on the bed anyway. "Do you really have to go to those?"

Kelly looked at a pamphlet that was on the bed. "They check the cabins to make sure everyone is up there. We have to do the drill. It's mandatory. Besides, we'll want to be informed if, heaven forbid, something goes wrong."

I sighed, and sat down next to her, my arms crossed over my chest. "Nothing is going to go wrong. The chances of us capsizing are less than us winning the lottery."

She smiled. "The chances of us becoming celebrities were slim too, and look at us. Besides, don't you want to know you did everything in your power to make sure we're safe so that we can get back to our children?"

I groaned. "Oh, fine! But using the children card is not fair play."

She ginned; apparently proud of herself. "But it gets me what I want."

I wrapped an arm around her, and kissed her cheek. "Yes, it does. I also want to make sure you're protected, so we'll go."

Her eyes lowered, and she kissed my lips, my face between her hands. "I love you. I'm so lucky to have you."

I stroked some hair off of her face. "_I'm_ the lucky one."

We kissed some more, which ended up with us lying down on the bed, me on top of Kelly. It looked like I was going to get my away after all.

I grinned, and ran my hand up her shirt. However, I had just reached the bottom of her bra when the captain's voice came loudly over the intercom, announcing what we needed to do, and where we needed to go.

Kelly smiled apologetically, and gently pushed my hand away. "I'm sorry, but you heard the captain. We have to grab our life vests and head to the Atlantic Deck now. They'll be time for this later." She kissed me. "I promise."

I pulled her in for one more kiss. "That intercom is annoying! Next time, he better not interrupt us, or _I'm_ going to be telling _him_ where to go!"

Kelly smirked, then got up off the bed, and went into the closet. She tossed me my jacket and held her own. "Let's go, Mister."

I pouted, and reluctantly got up off the bed. I wasn't so sure I liked her calling me "Mister." It made me feel like one of her children for some reason.

We headed out of the bedroom, the door clicking behind us. I just hoped the next time we left the room, it would be after some hot lovemaking. It had better be or someone was going to pay—starting with the captain!

~Kelly~

After the drill, we headed back to our room, and dropped our life vests back in the closet.

"Well, _that_ was fun," I said sarcastically. They had taught us how to put our life vets on and where to go, then they told us how to get into the life boats and what to do if we fell into the water. We had to blow the little whistle that was on the life vests. It didn't seem to sanitary, but whatever saved a life I guess.

Matthew snorted, and wrapped his hands around my waist. "_Right_! So, now can we have some _real_ fun?"

I smiled. "Later. I really want to do the sail away party on the Lido deck!"

"But we can have our own private party right in the comfort of our own room!" He was whining, which I found incredibly cute. But, if I gave him everything he wanted right now, then there would be no fun left for later. I kissed his neck, and wrapped my arms around him. "I promise you, we'll get to it. It's just that I have only been on a cruise ship one other time, and that was way back when I was married to my first husband. I want to enjoy the ship, and what it has to offer!"

I sighed. "I'm not sure I like the idea of you being on a cruise ship with another husband of yours. Though, I suppose if you were this anti-sex back then as well, then I have nothing to worry about."

I rolled my eyes. Don't get me wrong. I loved my husband more than anything, but he could be such a baby at times. "I'm not anti-sex—especially not with you. But I do want to have some other form of fun as well. That's what you're supposed to do on a vacation—explore and have fun."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, you're supposed to 'explore' and 'have fun' on a honeymoon too, only the kind _I_ want to have."

I sighed, and gently stroked some hair out of his eyes. "We will. I promise." I kissed him. "Let's just not fight. Please?"

He sighed as well, then softly kissed my lips. "We're not fighting; we're disagreeing on what to do. But, if it makes you happy, then let's go to the sail away party."

I grinned. I loved getting my own way. I kissed him. "Thank you, Baby. And tonight, I promise we'll do something that makes _you_ happy." I brushed my lips against his ear. "Something that will make us _both_ happy."

I felt him shiver in my arms. "Let's go now if you want to make it to the party."

I grinned again, knowing exactly what he meant. I took his hand, and together we headed out of the room, and to the Lido deck. Of course, once I realized we were the only ones in the elevator, I pressed him against the wall and kissed him good and hard.

He moaned. "You're going to be the death of me."

I gently trailed my finger down his jawline. "You aint seen nothin' yet, Baby!" I smiled slyly, then walked onto the Lido deck floor once the doors opened. I laughed to myself as I heard his groan of frustration behind me. I knew what I was doing. I wasn't stupid. I was going to make him want me so badly he was about to burst. Then, I was going to give him exactly what he wanted, and he would be _more_ than ready to give me exactly what _I_ needed. I smiled to myself. I may be blonde, but I'm no dumb blonde.

~Matthew~

She was teasing me. I know she was. I'm not sure I had ever seen Kelly in short shorts in my life, but she was wearing them today. Her T-shirt went to the waistband, but barely. If she moved a certain way, it would ride up, and I'd see her bare skin. Mm... Look at me. I wanted her so badly, I was resorting to practically getting off on her bare waist. I had to get her in bed before I completely lost it. I was aware I was beginning to sound like a pig, but I couldn't help it! I was a man, and it was my honeymoon, and, like the man that I am, I wanted what any man wanted on their honeymoon—their wife naked in bed with them. Was that so much to ask?

Kelly dropped her cocktail napkin, and bent down to get it.

_Man!_ Those shorts fit her so well.

She stood back up, and smiled at me. "I forgot! The card in our stateroom said our dinner seating is at six. I wanna change quick after the party, and then we can go eat!"

I sighed. Apparently, it _was_ too much to ask. I didn't want to upset her though, so I went along with it. I pulled her close and kissed her temple. "Sounds good to me!"

She grinned at me, and it melted away all my frustration. For now.

Five minutes later, the ship took off, and everyone cheered and toasted. Kelly and I toasted our Champaign glasses and kissed, one arm around the other as we watched our boat get farther and farther away from land.

Kelly set her empty glass on the table, then took my empty glass and set it beside hers. "All right, I guess we should head up and get ready for dinner then. I want to dress a little nicer. Plus, it will get a slight bit chilly at night I'm sure, seeing as we're on the water."

"If we stay in our nice warm bed, doing a nice warm activity, you won't have to worry about the cold," I told her low enough and close to her ear so that only she would hear me.

She shook her head and smiled. She took my hand. "I swear you have a one-track mind sometimes."

"With a wife as beautiful as you, can you blame me?" I asked her.

She smiled, then kissed my cheek and squeezed my hand. "Later tonight."

"It's always later," I grumbled. I didn't want to be a jerk on the first day of our honeymoon, but I really wanted to be intimate with my wife! There was nothing I could do but wait for her to be ready though. I sure hoped she made waiting worth the while. Then again, knowing my wife, she would. I knew she would. Now, the question was, how long could I hold onto my self control? I guess I'd have to wait and see.

We made it to dinner. Of course, as Kelly was dressing, I had tried to persuade her to skip dinner and have a little fun instead. After all, between room service and buffets, food was _always_ available. We didn't have to eat at the ship's restaurant. But, no. She had insisted we eat at the restaurant. I had stopped begging when she started to get snippy.

"Right this way," the host said, leading us to our table.

"Thank you!" Kelly said with her beautiful smile.

The host brought us to our table, which I found we'd be sharing with five other people.

The host held out Kelly's seat for her and placed her napkin in her lap. I was a little peeved that he hadn't given me a chance to do so, but I guessed I was just in a bad mood. After all, that was his job.

After we were both seated, we were introduced to our waiters. Yes, we had two waiters. One for the drinks and one for the food.

We gave our drink orders, then talked to our table mates.

"Hi! I'm Kelly, and this is my husband Matthew," Kelly introduced.

I smiled at every one, and gave a polite wave. "Hello."

Everyone said a friendly hello in return.

"I'm Martha, and this is my husband Ed. We're here to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary," an older lady said. She and her husband smiled at us.

I smiled back. They looked to be in their seventies. I didn't know old people went on cruises. What would they do? Play shuffleboard?" I almost laughed out loud.

"Aw! My husband and I are here on our honeymoon." Kelly motioned to me with a smile, then turned back to Martha and Ed. "I hope we live to be married as long as you two have."

"Congratulations!" Everyone said upon hearing Kelly and I were there on our honeymoon.

Well, they were a friendly bunch at least.

"Thank you!" Kelly and I said. We took each other's hand, and smiled at each other.

Our drinks came then, and we paused to order our food. Then, once the waiters had gone, the rest of the table introduced themselves to us.

"We've been married for only five years, but we decided to come on this cruise for a little vacation from the kids. We have three-year-old twins, and it was becoming a bit much for us to handle, as much as we love them. My parents, God bless their souls, agreed to watch them for us while we take this cruise," a lady who looked to be in her early fifties said. Her husband nodded and smiled. He was chubby and balding, but he had a kind smile. He looked like the type of guy that did whatever pleased his wife. I just sensed it. I bet he could relate to me.

"Oh, how adorable! What are their names?" Kelly asked.

"Victor and Victoria. The movie was our favorite," the lady looked shyly at her husband who smiled at his wife, but didn't say anything.

"Oh, that is too cute!" Kelly cooed.

"I'm Sandy by the way, and this is my husband Greg," the lady added.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," Kelly said.

"And I'm Annalisse. I'm here on my own. I just needed some time to get away from it all," the final member of our table said.

Kelly nodded at her, and smiled politely. "It's very nice to meet you, Annalisse. That's a pretty name."

"Thanks. Even though I was born in Florida, my parents were born in Puerto Rico, so they gave me a Puerto Rican name."

Kelly smiled at her. "That's really neat!" She must not have found it too neat though, for she turned her attention back to Sandy, and began telling her about our kids.

I looked at Annalisse. She looked to be in her late twenties maybe. No older. She was really pretty! She had shoulder-length, dark brown curly hair that fell over her shoulders, and a pretty purple sun dress with white flowers on it. She had tanned skin. Her face was flawless other than a small black beauty mark on the upper right corner of her top lip. Her eye makeup looked like a purplish sunset, and her cheeks were lightly dusted with a rose color. Her lips were glossed. She _really_ was pretty. Of course, not as beautiful as my wife was.

I looked to my wife, who was animatedly taking with Sandy, who was just as animatedly talking to her. It appeared my wife had found a new friend.

"You're on that show _Gossip Girl_, you and your wife, right?" Annalisse asked, nodding at me.

I nodded and grinned. So far, she was the first to acknowledge us as celebrities. "That's right! I didn't think anyone on here watched that show. You're the first to recognize us." I told her.

She smiled. "Aw! I'm sure they recognize you. People are probably just scared they are wrong, then will have made an ass out of themselves."

I laughed. "Possibly!" She had a pretty smile. Her teeth were perfectly white.

Our appetizers arrived, and we all began to eat. Well, at least the cruise was getting a little more interesting I thought as Annalisse filled my mind. Maybe I could make a new friend. Kelly had, so why couldn't I? No reason at all that I couldn't! I grinned, and took a sip of my drink.

~Kelly~

Dinner had been great. The people at our table were really nice—especially Sandy. I really liked her! In fact, after our incredible dessert of cherries jubilee, they invited us to drinks at the Apollo Bar, then go to a show at the main show lounge, Palladium. There was going to be a comedian there tonight.

So, we headed to the bar and got some drinks. I had a blue martini that was to die for. I talked with Sandy, and pretty much tuned Matthew out. I didn't mean to. It was just fun talking with another mother. Besides, it looked like he was having a conversation of his own with Greg.

After we talked about the kids some more, our conversation turned to our husbands.

"So, I'm surprised your husband is being so good about hanging around the ship. I know on my honeymoon, my husband wanted nonstop sex. As if I had nothing better to do than sleep with him the whole vacation. We paid for the vacation, and I wanted to get my money's worth! If we were just going to have sex, we could have saved the money and stayed home!" Sandy complained.

I laughed. I couldn't believe she was saying this. It was as if she were reading my thoughts! "I'm going through the exact same thing right now!" I glanced at Matthew, who thankfully wasn't paying any attention to us. I lowered my voice, and turned my attention back to Sandy. "Trust me. If he had a choice, I'd never leave the bedroom. I told him I wanted to enjoy the ship, and that there would be plenty of time for other things later."

Sandy nodded, and held out her glass to me. "There ya go! Us women have to show the men who wears the pants!"

I nodded, and toasted my glass with hers. "Right on!"

"What's right on?" Matthew asked, giving me a slight smile.

Sandy and I both giggled.

"Oh, nothing," I said. "Just a little girl talk."

"That's key for don't ask. Trust me," Greg said to Matt.

Matt nodded. "Right!"

After our drinks, we headed into the show. The comedian was hilarious, and I was really glad I had agreed to go see him.

"Are you guys going to the midnight buffet tonight?" Sandy asked me.

I nodded. "Sounds good to me! We're getting all this free food, we might as well take advantage of it. We'll just have to take advantage of the on-ship gym as well."

Sandy nodded. "I hear ya!"

"Honey, don't you want to stay in tonight? There will be plenty of nights to do the buffet. This is our first night. Let's just relax and enjoy it, all right?" Greg asked his wife.

Sandy put a hand over her hip and glared at her husband. "There will be plenty of time to do other things later as well! We paid for this cruise, and by gone it, I'm going to get some use out of it!"

Matthew gently pulled me aside. "Kel, can't you skip the buffet tonight? We already had dinner and dessert! Now I want to have a different kind of dessert. You promised!"

I rolled my eyes. "We still will! I want to enjoy the ship, just as Sandy does, Matthew! We paid all this money. Don't you think we should get our money's worth? We can lay around making love any time. We don't get a chance to go on a cruise that often."

"But you promised tonight. If we wait until after the buffet, it won't even be the same night!" he whined.

Okay, it was cute at first, but now I was just getting annoyed. "Matthew, stop being such a baby! Does it really matter if it is technically tonight or not? We'll be making love before we go to sleep, so, no matter what the clock says, it will still be the same night to me!"

Matthew crossed his arms over his chest. "All right, fine. You get everything you want all the time anyway, so there is no use in arguing with you."

I decided to ignore his sarcasm. "Good! I'm glad you realize that." I kissed his cheek, and that was that.

Sandy and I decided we'd all go dancing next, and so we did. The guys left us shortly after to do some gambling, but we didn't mind. We were having fun all on our own. We didn't need men! We were just two new friends who knew how to have a good time. I loved being on the ship! It made me feel twenty years younger for some reason. And, what woman wouldn't want to feel twenty years younger?

After dancing, it was finally time for the midnight buffet. We headed down there, and had a great meal.

Needless to say, by the time we had finished eating and said our goodbyes to Greg and Sandy, I was tired.

When we got into the room, I threw myself down onto the bed, my legs dangling over the end of the bed. "Baby, I'm sorry. I know I promised we'd make love, but I'm exhausted. Can't it wait until we wake up tomorrow?"

"That's it!" He slammed his hand down on the vanity table, causing me to jump. "You keep saying later, later, later, and now you're telling me not at all?"

After a brief moment of being too shocked to speak, I finally found my words. "I'm sorry if I wanted to have fun. I'm sorry if I got tired. Excuse me, Matthew! You don't need to get nasty with me!"

"I knew this was going to happen! I _knew_ it! I wanted to make love with you, but no. You wanted to do all these other things, half of them without even asking me first! You just told me what we're doing like I'm your child, and not your husband!" he snapped. He slammed his hand down on the table again.

I had never seen him this angry—let alone with me. He was scaring me.

"Well, just because you're a man, it doesn't give you the right to tell me what I can and cannot do!" I insisted.

"No, but it doesn't mean _you_ get to tell _me_ what I can and cannot do either! We should make these decisions together! Gosh, you were so selfish tonight I could just punch something!" He slapped the vanity several times now.

"Stop it! Stop hitting the vanity! You're scaring me! Control your temper!" I snapped.

He stopped, but it didn't soothe his anger. "I asked you for one little thing, Kelly, and you won't even give it to me! All you wanted to do was hang with your new friend, ignore me, and do things _you_ wanted to do!"

I couldn't believe how angry he was getting just because I wouldn't sleep with him. I was not selfish! Would a selfish person raise three kids? Would a selfish person wear an outfit she normally wouldn't wear just because she knew her husband would like her in it? No! Fine. He wanted sex with me, then so be it. But that would be all it was this time—sex! Nothing more.

I practically jumped off the bed, and roughly and quickly took my clothes off. "There! You want me?" I held my arms out at my sides. "Have at it. Have me as long as you want. I don't even care anymore. Whatever makes you happy. Just stop yelling at me on our honeymoon! Please!"

His expression softened a bit. "You know I don't want it that way." His tone had softened too.

I guess I was overtaken with the emotion of the whole incident, for I fell down onto the bed, and burst into tears. I buried my face in my hands, and began to sob. "This is so not how the first night of our honeymoon was supposed to be!"

Matthew ran over to me, and sat down next to me on the bed. He pulled me close. "Sh, Baby, don't cry. Please don't cry. If you want to go to sleep, that's fine. I'm sorry I yelled and hit things, and I'm really sorry I scared you. I have a temper, what can I say? I'd die before I ever hit _you_ though, you know that, right?"

I looked up at him, tears still streaming down my cheeks. "Of course I know that. I just hate it when you yell. I've never heard you yell like that before, or seen you hit anything."

He rubbed my back. "I'm sorry. I'm just in a bad mood today. I'm glad you made a new friend, and I'm glad you had fun today. I'm sorry I was such a grouch about it."

I smiled at him. "No, _I'm_ sorry. You were right. You only asked me for one thing, and I wouldn't give it to you. It started off me just wanting to make you want me more. Then, I met Sandy, and it was fun talking to another mother. I got carried away by the fun of the ship. I didn't think about how being with you could be even more fun. Or how I should have asked you first if you minded, or how I had already promised you we'd make love."

"Well, if you don't want to, I don't want to do anything you don't want to do." He kissed me. "You're more than worth the wait."

I kissed him. "It's not that I don't want to. In fact, I've gotten my second wind. I guess our fight was good for _something_."

He grinned. "Really? Because if you want to wait, we can. I won't be angry."

I grinned as well. "Just shut up and get naked."

He grinned even wider. "It's about damn time!"

We both laughed, and I quickly helped him undress.

He then roughly pushed me down on my back on the bed, and began kissing and sucking at my breasts. I smiled. I knew that was his favorite part of my body, because he always went for that first. He then moved his kisses up my neck, then finally met with my lips.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, and brushed my lips against his left ear. "I think you'll agree with me, when I say we don't need to waist anymore time with foreplay.

He growled in response, and entered me right then and there.

I threw my head back and moaned. I needed him so badly, and he felt so good. Boy was I glad I had gotten my second wind! To go to bed without this would have been tragic!

He kissed me roughly as he entered me repeatedly, hitting all the right places, and it didn't take long before both of us were having our climaxes.

He held me in his arms for a bit before slipping out of me.

I smiled at him. "Satisfied now?"

He nodded. "For now."

We grinned at each other, then held each other and kissed some more.

After a bit, I got up to go to the bathroom, then I threw on a pair of underwear and my nightgown.

Matthew went to the bathroom after me, then put on some boxers.

He climbed into bed with me and turned off the lights. We kissed some more.

"Can I have one more request?" he asked me.

"What's that?" I asked, looking up at him from where my head had been resting on his chest.

"Can I have one day—a day at sea maybe—to make love to you all day long? We only get up to eat, and have bathroom breaks."

I grinned. "All day long?"

He nodded, and gently ran his fingers down my bare arm. "Please?"

I rested my head on his chest again. I figured after getting my day today, I could give him a day for him. Besides, you never knew—it might be fun. "All right. Sounds fun!"

His eyes darkened. "Oh, I assure you, it will be."

I moaned, then looked up at him so we could kiss again.

I then rested my head on his chest again, and closed my eyes.

He stroked my hair and my back. "I love you, Kelly."

"I love you too, Matthew. So much!" And that was the last thing I remember saying before falling asleep. Though, I do know I was looking forward to the day I promised him. It was bound to be interesting indeed.


	6. Chapter 6

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 6: Be Good to Me**_

~Kelly~

The next morning, the sun shown through the window. I stretched. I had to remember to shut the curtains tonight. I had just wanted to be able to have a nice view as we laid in bed, but the sunlight ended up waking me before I wanted to wake up. I had been dreaming an amazing dream about being on the beach with my husband, making love with him on one of those white beds they have that can always be seen in commercials for Sandals and Beaches.

"Good morning, everyone! This is your captain speaking. I hope you all had a good, sleep-filled night last night! Today we have a day at sea as we continue traveling to Cozumel, Mexico. First seating for breakfast is in the main dining hall going on right now. Today's on ship activities include..." I stopped listening, for Matthew woke up, and placed his pillow over his head.

"Is there anyway we can disconnect that damn intercom?" he grumbled.

I smiled. "Sadly, no." I lay down next to him, and took his pillow away. I set it to the side. "Good morning."

He smiled too. "Good morning." He gently stroked my cheek, then kissed me. "So, what do you wan to do today?"

"Well, it's a day at sea, so we can do anything we want on the ship." My stomach grumbled. "I'd like to start with breakfast."

He chuckled. "We can do that. I want to shower first though." He pulled me closer. "You got me so sweaty last night." He kissed my neck.

I smiled, and stroked some hair out of his eyes. "You got me all sweaty too. Want to shower together? It's always good to conserve water you know."

He grinned. "I like the way you think! And I'm always up for being green."

I smirked. "As long as it's regarding the environment and not the color of your skin."

"Haha," he said sarcastically. He smirked nonetheless. "I have to go to the bathroom, then I'll turn the water on for us. I'll get it nice and warm—not that we need the water to be warm for us to be warm, if you catch my drift." He nuzzled his nose against my neck.

I smiled. "Oh, I catch it!"

We grinned at each other, and he kissed me. Then, he headed for the shower.

I smiled after him, then stripped off my clothing. I could hardly wait to be with him again. Making love as husband and wife was even better than it had been when we weren't married. I don't know why. It just was. Well, figuring out why that was wasn't going to get either of us anywhere.

I was still smiling as I headed into the bathroom.

~Matthew~

"Don't flush!" I warned Kelly as I heard her place the cover back down on the toilet.

She washed her hands. "I know!" She opened the shower curtain and smiled. "Don't worry—I'd never do anything to burn you."

"Um, good to know," I said as she stepped into the shower with me, and pulled the curtain closed again.

She was smiling still. I loved that when she was with me, she was always smiling or grinning.

She took my face between her hands and kissed me deeply. "Mm, I want you."

"Mm, And I think I might just need you," I told her.

"Well, then, do something about it!" she purred in my ear.

I moaned, then gently pressed her back against the tiled wall.

She wrapped her right leg around my waist and, when I entered her, she moaned, and threw her head back.

I took advantage of her newly expose neck, and kissed her neck, gently sucking on it as well. I didn't care if I left a mark. I wanted everyone to know she was mine anyway.

I moved my kisses down to her breasts, and gently sucked them as well.

She moaned, her eyes closed, and her head still thrown back as her chest rose and fell with her now rapid breathing. She held my head between her hands for a moment, then lifted my face to hers. "More," she ordered, her eyes boring into mine. She tightened her leg around my waist to silently show me exactly what it was she wanted more of.

I licked my lips, suddenly wanting her so badly, I couldn't stand it. "You got it, Baby." I brushed my lips against her left ear. "In fact, why don't you wrap both of those pretty little legs around my waist? I can lift you, and fill you so much better."

She moaned, and did as requested.

As promised, I helped to hold her up, partially letting the wall support her weight. "You ready for it?" I kissed down her neck, then looked into her eyes.

Her eyes bore into mine as she spoke the four little words that made me weak in the knees. "Give it to me." She then added and "Ugh!" as I thrust into her, a little more harder than I intended to.

"Sorry!" I said quickly. "I was just over eager. I didn't mean to hurt you I—"

She cut me off with a finger to my lips. "You didn't." She took my face between her hands again. "Now stop thinking so much and start giving me what I need."

She didn't have to tell _me_ again! I started my rhythm inside of her again, my thrusts more firm and constant as I gripped tightly onto her sides.

She bit her bottom lip, her head thrown back and her eyes closed again. "Ugh, Matthew, yes! Oh. My. Gosh!"

A moan involuntarily escaped my lips. I couldn't help it. She was getting me so incredibly aroused.

I quickened my pace yet again, making sure to hit all the spots I knew drove her insane with pleasure, and soon, my name was echoing off the tiled walls as she practically screamed it.

I only lasted a few more thrusts inside of her before I hit my climax. Her screaming in pleasure because of something I did to her was too much for me. I was just glad she knew to put one of her legs down, for, in my orgasmic, euphoric stage, I no longer had the energy to support her weight anymore.

After a few moments of trying to catch my breath, I was able to turn my attention back to her again. "Good?" I asked with a smile as I gently slid out of her.

She took my face between her hands again, and rested her forehead against mine with a grin. "It was better than good—it was incredible!"

I grinned too. "I'm always happy to do my part as your husband."

"Mm, well that you did," she murmured, her eyes lowered as she pulled me in for a passionate kiss. When she broke the kiss, she licked her lips. "I think we really had better be good and wash up now for breakfast."

I nodded. "I couldn't agree more." She always made me a hot mess, and I loved that I made her one as well.

"Wash my back?" she asked, taking a body puff and the body wash we had brought along with us and handing it to me.

I took them from her, then gently kissed her lips. "With pleasure."

She smiled, and gently nuzzled her nose against mine. "Thank you, Baby!" She then turned around so that I could wash her back.

I squeezed some soap onto the body puff, then began to wash her back. I just hoped she let me wash other parts of her body was well. Haha.

~Kelly~

"Next time, I'm washing my own private areas," I said quietly as Matthew and I got off the elevator. I had allowed him to wash me, but he kept trying to get me to make love with him again. If we had done as he wanted, we never would have made it to breakfast on time. We had already missed the first serving. I was not about to miss the second!

Matt grinned. "We'll see about that!"

I rolled my eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

We sat down for breakfast, and were the only ones. I guessed everyone else at our table had eaten already.

"So, what should we do today?" Matt asked me once we had ordered our drinks and were looking over our menus.

"Well, I was thinking about getting a couple's massage. Maybe we could see if there is an opening after we get done with breakfast? I know the spa books up fast. I guess we really should have signed up yesterday. I hope we don't get a bad time, like the last day of the trip or something." I decided what I wanted to eat, and put my menu down on the table.

"A couple's massage sounds good. Though, can't we just give them to each other?" Matthew set his menu down, apparently also having had decided what he wanted as well.

I nodded. "We can do that! But I also want professional massages too." I grinned again. Being with Matthew made me so happy, my face was starting to hurt from grinning so much! It was worth it though.

Matt took my hands in his from across the table. "Well, if it makes you happy, then of course we can get them!"

I kissed his hands. "Thank you! I love you."

He kissed my hands as well. "I love you too." He winked at me.

I smiled at him, feeling like the luckiest woman on earth.

The waiter arrived with our drinks then, and we ordered our food. I was looking forward to our massages. Though, now that Matthew had mentioned private massages, I knew the massages that we gave each other were going to be even better. I could hardly wait!

Breakfast had been lovely. The food was amazing. Matthew had ordered waffles just to be a dork. Anyone who watched our show knew how obsessed his character was with waffles. I stuck to a cheese and bacon omelet. It was really good! Of course, I really hoped to get to the ship's gym with Sandy sometime soon. Maybe the four of us could go together, I figured.

Anyway, we went to the spa after, and I asked if they had any openings for couples massages. "I know you book up pretty quickly, but is there anyway you could possibly fit us in today?" I asked.

The girl behind the counter (who looked to be in her late twenties) grinned at us. "Of course I can fit my two favorite _Gossip Girl_ characters in!" She blushed. "Well, the actors that play them anyway."

Matthew and I grinned at each other. I usually wasn't one to abuse my celebrity status, but when it came to getting something I really wanted that I might not be able to get otherwise, I was all for it. Once in a while wouldn't hurt anyone, I figured.

Matthew grinned at her. "Finally someone who knows what show I'm from! I've had people think I was from _90210_, and even _Sex in the City_!"

She laughed. "Oh, I watch your show religiously. Trust me—I know who you are!" she said.

"Well, thank you for watching our show," Matthew said to her with a wink and a smile.

I nodded. "Yes, thank you for watching my husband's and my show." I held onto Matthew's arm. I didn't like the way the girl was looking at him. I know it was silly, but I felt a little insecure sometimes. After all, he had chosen his wife over me at one point.

"Well, It will be two hundred and fifty dollars for the two of you. I can get you in in two hours if that suits you," the girl said.

I clapped my hands together. "That's perfect! Thank you!"

Matthew pulled out the money from his wallet, and handed it to her.

"Thank you! Now, if you want to sign here, I'll see you in two hours!" the girl said, smiling so big it seemed her face might crack.

Matthew signed us up, then winked at her. "Thank you! See you in two hours!"

"That you will!" she said, still grinning, and now winking back at him.

I smiled at the girl, then took my husband's arm, and gently led him away. "I don't like the way she was flirting with you. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were flirting back!"

He laughed. "I was just being friendly! You know you're the only woman for me." He kissed my lips. "Wanna go swimming?"

I sighed. He had a way of making me forget why I was angry with him. "Okay."

Her stopped me and kissed me while we waited for the elevator to show up. "You're so beautiful. I love you."

I sighed again, and melted into his arms as I kissed him in return. "I love you too." Yeah, that was definitely why it was so easy to forgive him. Pure and simple.

~Matthew~

As we found two deck chairs side-by-side to set our towels and Kelly's bag on, I admired how hot my wife looked in a bathing suit. It was just a simple one piece with black and white vertical stripes, but it was driving me wild nonetheless.

We got into the pool, and swam around a bit, but it was hard to swim far, for the pool was pretty packed. It was a hot day after all.

Kelly wrapped her arms around me and kissed me. "Wanna go in the hot tub?"

I grinned. "But we've only been swimming for two minutes if even that!"

"I know, but it's so packed in here. There's an empty hot tub over there." She pointed to the hot tub section.

Honestly, I wanted to try out the water slide, but, since the hot tub was empty, I really didn't want to pass up that opportunity to be with her in it alone.

I held my hand out to her. "Sure, let's go!"

She took my hand, and we headed out of the pool and into the hot tub.

"Mm, it feels good in here," I said, closing my eyes and leaning back against the tub wall once I had taken my seat next to her.

"Yeah, it does. It's not too hot like some tubs can be." She snuggled underneath my arm.

I opened my eyes and smiled at her.

She smiled too, and we kissed.

"I love you," she murmured between kisses.

I stroked her hair. "I love you too." I kissed her again. "So much."

"You know what could make this moment even better?" Kelly asked.

I grinned. "Us in there naked together with nobody else around?"

She nodded. "That too, but I was referring to a strawberry daiquiri, or a piña colada." She batted her eyelashes and kissed my cheek. She then stroked some hair out of my eyes. "Please get me one, Baby?"

Of course I could never say no to her. I kissed her. "Of course! Which one do you want?"

She smiled. "Surprise me."

I got out of the tub, and she grabbed my hand along the way. "Thank you, Baby. I really do love you, you know."

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Back at ya, Baby." I smiled at her, and gently stroked her hair, then went to get the drinks. I figured I'd her the colada, and I'd get the daiquiri. We would share.

I told the bartender what I wanted, and sat down to wait for the drinks to arrive.

"Hey, you! Enjoying the heat?"

I looked over to see Annalisse sit down next to me. She had on an orange and yellow floral print bikini with a yellow beaded coverup wrapped around her waist. She had an orange flower to the right of her hair, and orange beaded flip flops on her feet.

I grinned. "Hey! Yeah, it's a little hot, but I'll take it! I come from New York, so it's nice to actually be hot in December rather than cold."

Annalisse shook her head. "See, I'm the opposite! I am kind of wishing that I decided to take an Alaskan cruise instead. It rarely gets cold in Florida, and when it does, it's not that bad. I'd love to see snow. I've seen it before when I've been up north for a visit, but I never get snow for Christmas, and I'm hot almost all the time. I don't know why I chose to vacation somewhere even hotter. Isn't it funny how we always want the opposite of what we have?"

I chuckled. "I hear ya!" The bartender gave me the drinks. I gave him the key card to put it on my tab, then took the key back, and grabbed the drinks.

Annalisse nodded toward the drinks. "I should get one of those. I've been drinking cocktails all this time. I never even thought of getting a frozen drink!"

"Do you want one? I'll buy ya one." It felt like the right thing to do. I didn't want to make a lady buy her own drink—especially not one who was quickly becoming my friend.

Annalisse swatted the air with her hand. "Oh, you don't have to buy me one! I got plenty of money."

I shook my head and set the drinks back down. "Nonsense! Let a new friend buy you a drink."

Annalisse batted her eyelashes at me and smiled. "Well, all right, thank you! I appreciate it."

I swatted the air as well. "Don't mention it. What do you want?"

Annalisse turned to the waiting bartender. "I'll have a piña colada please."

The bartender nodded. "Coming right up!"

Annalisse smiled at me, and gently placed her hand overtop of mine. "Thanks again."

I looked down at her hand on mine and grinned, then looked her in the eyes. She had pretty brown eyes, I noticed. "Don't mention it!"

~Kelly~

I didn't know what was taking my husband so long just to get a couple of drinks. Though, it was pretty packed. I guessed maybe there was a line at the bar.

Finally, he came back, though, he was with that girl from our table. Annalisse I think her name was. They were laughing about something together, and she put her hand over his shoulder. My inner alarm instantly went off. What the heck was she doing with him? This was supposed to be his and my honeymoon. We didn't need some girl in her twenties hanging out with us like we were all good friends.

I sighed. I knew that wasn't fair of me. I'd be nice. Even so, it kind of annoyed me that he took so long to get our drinks, only to come back with her, whom I now noticed had a drink in her hand as well.

"It took you long enough," I said, it coming out a little more annoyed sounding than I had meant for it to come out.

Matthew shrugged apologetically at me, and sat down next to me. He handed me a piña colada, then kissed my cheek. "Sorry, Baby. I got our drinks pretty quickly, but then Annalisse showed up and we got to talking, then I offered to buy her a drink."

_Why?_ I wanted to ask. _Why would you buy a girl we barely know a drink? Doesn't she have money of her own?_ Instead, I was polite. I put on a smile. "I see." I turned to Annalisse. "Hello, Annalisse. It's good to see you again! How are you enjoying the cruise so far?"

Annalisse sat down across from Matthew after taking off her coverup and setting it on the cement floor near the hot tub. "Hello! It's nice to see you again too, Kelly, though we did just see each other last night at dinner, right?" she giggled.

I smiled more forcefully at her, resisting the urge to deck her. I didn't like her. I know that wasn't fair to judge someone I barely knew, but I couldn't help it. I just got a bad vibe about her.

Annalisse took a sip of her drink before continuing. "And, I like the cruise so far. Though, I'm sure I'll enjoy it even more once we dock in Cozumel. I'm already starting to get a little cabin fever!"

Matthew nodded. "I hear ya! I'm eager to get off the ship and do some excursions."

I gently elbowed him. "I thought you enjoyed being on the ship." I leaned closer to him so that my lips were brushing against his ear. "Especially in the bedroom."

He blushed. "I do, but it's still going to be nice to get off the ship and explore." He laughed a nervous little laugh.

I fought to not roll my eyes. Sure. He was all for staying in the bedroom and making love all day long, but now that Annalisse wanted to get off the ship and do things, suddenly so did he. _Nice_.

Matthew and Annalisse then got into a conversation on what excursions they were planning on doing. Annalisse wanted to do this motorcycle tour where you ride around on a custom sportster, as she called, it and tour parts of Cozumel. Matthew and I had just planned to do some shopping and find a nice Mexican restaurant to eat at. However, he now seemed very interested in Annalisse's choice.

"That sounds so cool! I wonder if they have any spots left!" he said, sounding like an excited little kids.

Annalisse grinned. "They might! You should check it out!"

"Um, Matthew I was kind of looking forward to just shopping, and getting something to eat," I said. I loved the little shops around Mexico. I wanted to shop, and just have a nice, quiet, relaxing day with my husband.

Matthew finally turned his attention back to me. "We can shop anytime, Kel! I've always wanted to ride on a motorcycle!"

"You don't even know how to ride one!" I informed him. "Besides, shopping in Mexico is different. They sell different things."

"Junk mostly," he said with a snort.

Annalisse laughed with him, and I wanted to punch her. That said a lot since I am normally not a violent person in the slightest.

"They teach you how to ride the bikes," Annalisse informed me.

"Yeah, well they don't have much time to teach you. It doesn't seem safe." I took a sip of my drink to stop myself from saying something rude to her.

Matthew put an arm around me. "Don't worry, Baby! I'd never let anything happen to you."

The effort was nice, but it was hard to take it to heart when he clearly wanted to go because Annalisse was going. I'd had enough of looking at her in her teeny weeny bikini. I took my husband's hand. "Come on. I'm hot again. Let's go back in the pool."

Matthew took my hand, but looked at Annalisse. "Wanna come? I wanna check out that water slide." He nodded towards the slide.

Annalisse grinned. "Sure! I'd love to. Looks fun!"

I practically dragged Matthew out of the pool, too livid to speak.

~Matthew~

Kelly seemed a little frigid towards me all the sudden. I didn't know what it could be. I hoped the fun of riding in the water slide would cheer her up.

"Do you want to go down first, or do you want me to?" I asked her.

"What? You're not going to ask Annalisse first?" she asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked her; honestly confused.

She shook her head. "You know what? Never mind. Why don't you go down first? That way you can catch me before I go under water. I'm not too fond of going under the water. It's something about not being able to breath that freaks me out—even if it's only for a few seconds."

I smiled. She was so adorable sometimes. "All right." I loved the idea of protecting my wife. "Let's let Annalisse go down first."

She nodded.

Annalisse came over just then. She had gotten slightly behind us since Kelly was dragging me away so fast. "I get to go first?" she asked.

I nodded. "If you don't mind."

She smiled at me. "Not at all." She winked.

I grinned, and stepped back, allowing her to sit at the top of the slide. She turned to look at me over her shoulder. "See you at the bottom!" She then pushed herself down, screaming all the way down.

I looked at Kelly and grinned. "You sure you want to do this?"

Kelly shrugged. "If she can, I certainly can."

I smiled. I loved how she was so brave. I pulled her close and kissed her. "See you soon!" I then got on the slide and pushed myself down, screaming all the way down, as Annalisse had. What a rush! I whipped down three decks, twisting and turning until I finally hit the pool. "Woo! What a rush!" I exclaimed.

Annalisse grinned at me. "Isn't it?" I turned to her and laughed. "Did you whip down as fast as I did?' I asked her.

She nodded. "It felt like I was only on the slide for five seconds! The sides of the slide just whipped past me. It was just like, Whoosh!" She moved her hand to illustrate. "Then, splash!"

Not two seconds after she made the "splash" sound, I heard an actual splash. I suddenly remembered Kelly. _Uh oh._ I felt sick.

I quickly turned around to see Kelly just coming up from underneath the water. She looked at me in such a way I could practically see the daggers shooting out of her eyes.

I reached out for her. "Oh, Kelly, Baby, I'm so sorry! I was talking with Annalisse, and forgot you were coming down behind me!"

"So easily you forgot!" she snapped.

I tried to take her in my arms, but she pulled away. "I'm going to read." She got out of the pool, and headed back to her deck chair.

I sighed. "I better go with her," I said to Annalisse.

Annalisse smiled shyly, and shrugged. "Sorry. That was _my_ fault. I shouldn't have distracted you."

I shook my head. "No, Kelly asked me to watch for her, and I didn't. It was _my_ fault. I'm going to go talk to her. I'll see you at dinner."

Annalisse nodded, and wiggled her fingers at me. "See you tonight. And please, even though you don't think it's my fault, I'm sure she must. Please tell her I'm sorry."

I nodded. "I will, and thanks!" She was such a nice girl, being concerned about my wife and all. I headed out of the pool, then, after one last wave and a smile at Annalisse, I turned back, and headed to go back to my wife. I had some apologizing to do.


	7. Chapter 7

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 7: Kiss and Tell**_

~Kelly~

I was hurt. Matthew had been talking to Annalisse, and I had gotten dunked. He had failed to protect me, his wife, because he was talking with a beautiful vixen who was young enough to be his daughter. Well, _almost_ young enough to be his daughter anyway. I pulled out the sunscreen from my bag, and applied it to my face, legs, and arms. Matthew had made his way over to me, but I was still angry, so I ignored him. Because of him, I had gotten dunked underneath the water. I guess it was no big deal. It was only for a few seconds. What made me angry was that he didn't protect me. He was too busy talking with the girl whose name I couldn't even mention without wanting to pull my own hair out.

"Kel, I'm sorry! I really am! I was an ass. Forgive me?" he tried.

It was going to take more than that for me to forgive him. I tried to put the sunscreen on my back, but it was difficult.

"Let me." He tried to take the sunscreen from me.

I paused, contemplating on whether I should give in and let him rub it on me or not. Then, with a sigh, I handed it over to him. There was no use in getting burnt just because I was angry with him. Besides, it was the least he could do for me after the way he had acted.

He began rubbing the sunscreen on my back, all the while pushing my hair out of the way, and kissing down the side of my neck. "I'm really sorry, Baby. It will never happen again. I love you more than my own life. I can't live if you don't forgive me."

I turned to him and smiled. I loved him too much to stay angry. He did have a way with words. I'd give him that. I sighed. "I guess I forgive you since I can't live without you."

His eyes lowered, and he set the sunscreen bottle aside so that he could take my face between his hands and kiss me passionately.

I sighed with contentment. He had a way with his lips too.

"Wanna give me another chance to catch you when you come down the slide?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I forgive you, but I am done with the slide. I just want to relax with my book. But first let me put the sunscreen on you. I don't want you getting burned."

He kissed me again. "Your hands all over me? I'm not gonna complain." We wriggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm only covering the parts of you that are exposed to sunlight."

He stood up. "Well, then let me take my shorts off." He pretended like he was going to pull his trunks off.

I laughed, and grabbed his wrist, pulling him down to sit down in front of me. "Stop it! You're going to get arrested," I teased as I took the sunscreen and began to slather it down his back.

He looked over his shoulder at me with a grin. "As long as they don't arrest me before you're done."

I rolled my eyes again, but smiled then kissed him anyway.

When I was satisfied with covering all of his exposed skin, I recapped the bottle, then put it into my bag. I then picked up my book, and began to read.

While I was reading, he took my right foot and began to massage it.

I peered over my book at him with a smile.

He grinned. "Foot massage while you read?"

"You really know how to make me forgive you!" I told him.

He grinned even brighter, and moved onto my left foot. "By the way, Annalisse says she's sorry too."

I fought to not roll my eyes. _I bet she was._ "That was nice of her," I said with a put on smile.

Matthew nodded. "She's a nice girl. But it wasn't really her fault; it was mine. I shouldn't have been paying any attention to her when my beautiful wife needed me." He looked up at me, not ceasing in his foot rubbing. "And I'm going to spend the rest of the vacation making it up to you. I promise!"

I smiled at him. Good! Maybe he was finally learning. It was going to be my job, while on this ship, to make sure he kept his eyes on the prize—me being the prize of course. I blew him a kiss, and he smiled at me and air kissed me before turning his attention back to my feet. Good boy.

~Matthew~

We arrived at the spa for our couples' massage shortly after the pool incident. Our arms were around each other's waist, and I was grateful that we had made up. I hated fighting with her—especially when I was the one who had to do the apologizing.

"Welcome back!" the chipper girl who had been there when we signed up said to us when she saw we had arrived for our appointment. "You can come on back here." She checked off our names, then led us in the back to our massage room. There were two changing rooms inside the massage room. She pointed to the changing rooms. "You can strip off your clothes in there, leaving your underwear on if you'd like. Here are your towels to wrap around yourselves. There is also a towel laying on your tables for you guys to lie on."

I grinned at her. "You can stay and watch me change if you want. I have nothing to hide."

Kelly gave me a look to kill. I guess after the whole Annalisse incident, that hadn't been such a good idea to joke like that.

The girl blushed.

I gave Kelly an apologetic shrug and smile, then turned my attention back to the girl. "I'm kidding. Thank you for showing us where to go."

"I'd like to tell you where to go," Kelly muttered under her breath.

The girl smiled. "Jackson and Kristen will be right with you." She then turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"It's nice to know you have nothing to hide in front of other women," Kelly said as she slipped into her dressing room.

"Kel, come on! Where's your sense of humor? I was kidding!" I said as I slipped into my own dressing room.

Kelly was silent, and I didn't know what else to say, so we stripped down to our underwear in silence.

"Let me cover you," I said as Kelly got onto her table and lay on her stomach.

"I can do it myself," she said, attempting to place her towel over her butt.

I helped her anyway.

"Thank you," she muttered.

I kissed her cheek. "You know you're the only woman who actually gets to see me naked now, don't you? I was just kidding with that girl."

She sighed. "Well, sometimes I don't like your sense of humor."

I held up my hands. "All right! I won't joke like that anymore. I promise." I kissed her cheek. "All right?"

She sighed, but nodded. "All right."

"I don't think I like that your masseuse is going to be massaging you when you don't have a bra on," I said, just noticing that she had no bra on.

She tolled her eyes. "Relax! He's only going to massage my back. He'll never even see my breasts. I just didn't want my massage interrupted by the back of my bra."

The masseuses came into the room just then. They looked like they were straight out of _Baywatch_. They were tanned with blonde hair. The girl, I noticed, was very busty. It was easy to see when she was wearing a tight white tee-shirt with the spa's logo on it. She wore white cotton pants with it that looked like the type of pants one would wear to a karate class. On her feat were white socks and white sneakers.

The guy was wearing the same outfit, only his shirt revealed his well-formed pectorals. I didn't know whether to stare at the girl and admire her beauty, or to keep an eye on the male. I didn't want him laying a finger on my wife, but I knew that was where this was going. I had to watch him and make sure he didn't go anywhere near her butt or her breasts. I'm afraid there wold be a smack down if he did.

The girl smiled brightly at us. "Hello! I'm Kristin, and this is Jackson. We'll be your masseuses. "You're Matthew and Kelly, right?"

I nodded. "That would be us!"

"Good! I see you're already set up," Jackson said with a smile as he headed over to Kelly.

Kelly took one look at him, and her entire face lit up. She held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Jackson!"

He shook her hand and grinned. "The pleasure is all mine." He winked at her.

I got onto the table and lay down on my stomach. I kept my eyes on Jackson. I didn't like the way he was looking at my wife anymore than I liked the way my wife was looking at him!

"Here. Let me help you with that." Kristen took my towel, and placed it over my butt.

"Thank you!" I said as I felt a smile approach my lips. Hey, she was a beautiful woman. I was a man after all. Married or not, I noticed these things.

Kelly's and my massage tables were side-by-side, so all we had to do was look to our sides (my right and her left), and we'd see each other.

I cast a glance at Kelly, who was now giving Kristen the look to kill that she had given me mere minutes before. Well, at least someone else was getting the look for a change instead of me, I thought with amusement.

~Kelly~

After answering a few health related questions, which were procedure before getting a massage, the massages began.

I was thrilled with Jackson! Not only was he super cute, but he was good at what he did. He started off with a dry rubdown, making sure to get in deep and unknot all my tension knots. There were a lot there because of a certain Annalisse. Also, Kristin wasn't helping much in the tension department either. I found it very unprofessional for her to wear such a tight-fitting shirt when she was so busty. It also made me uncomfortable that she and Matthew were so chatty. I always thought it was customary not to talk much when getting a massage. I guess I was wrong. This girl looked to be in her mid-twenties. What was it with Matthew and young girls? It made me angry suddenly. I wanted to go over there and push Kristen out of the way. She had no business practically sharing her life story with my husband while feeling his body all over. If she even _thought_ about touching his butt, I'd get up and rip her hair out by the roots!

I sighed. I was becoming violent even if it was only in my head. It was so unlike me! I didn't know what was wrong with me lately.

"You're so tense! Why don't I turn some music on?" Jackson went over to the CD player and put on some nice, slow, piano music. "Now, just close your eyes and enjoy the massage. Let all your worries and problems melt away." He took some hot oils then, and began to massage me with them. They smelled good.

"It's a mixture of chamomile and lavender," he said, as if reading my mind.

"It smells great!" I said.

"And yours is a mixture of lavender and vanilla," Kristen said to Matthew.

I opened my eyes and looked over to see Matthew grinning like the cheshire cat as she spread the oils all over his back, then deeply massaged his shoulders and back. Her hands went to his lower back, and he moaned.

"Yeah, that's a good spot. I feel a lot of tension there," he said.

I narrowed my eyes. I _bet_ he did! Well, two could play at _that_ game. I licked my lips, then moaned loudly. "Mm, you're very good with your hands. I'll give you that!"

Jackson grinned. "I'm glad to hear I'm doing my job well. You have a very nice body to work with."

Matthew cleared his throat, but didn't say anything.

Kristen did all the talking instead. "I'm going to massage your thighs, legs, and feet now. Is that all right?"

"Mm, yes Ma'am!" Matthew said.

I clenched my fists, feeling the tension rising again.

It was time to go in for the kill. "I wish I could take you home with me and have you be my personal masseuse!" I said to Jackson.

Before Jackson could respond to that, Matthew cleared his throat loudly, then spoke up. "You know, I'd feel much more comfortable if I had Jackson as my masseuse and Kristen as Kelly's."

I nodded. "I agree!"

Kristen and Jackson looked at each other, giving the other a strange look.

"Well, it's not usually the way we do it. We've never had the man want the man and the woman want the woman, but all right. We like to make our customers happy," Kristen said.

"It would make us _very_ happy," I said.

So, Jackson and Kristen traded places. I knew it made them a little uncomfortable most likely, but I for one was extremely more comfortable. And, judging by the look of relief on Matthew's face, I think he was too.

I smirked. I had to admit, it felt good that his jealousy over me had won out over his love for flirting with (and apparently being massaged by) pretty women. He had just earned his spot out of the dog house and into our bed.

~Matthew~

"I think he baffled those masseuses!" Kelly said with a laugh as we entered into our room hand-in-hand.

I laughed too. "They probably thought we were bisexual."

Kelly laughed even harder. "Probably!"

I shut the door behind us, then took Kelly into my arms. "Now, what was this about taking Jackson home with you?"

She smirked. "I was only trying to get you going. I saw the way you were staring at Kristen's chest. Not that you could help it. It was right in your face!"

I smiled as I thought back to it. "True. But hers were too big. Believe it or not, even men can find breasts to be too big at times. Yours on the other hand..." I placed my hands over hers, causing her to blush. "Are perfect."

She kissed me, and I kissed her back hungrily.

She smiled, and started playing with the collar of my shirt. "Well, if you think they're perfect now, wait until you see them without all these clothes." She pulled off her shirt and tossed it to the floor. She was now standing there wearing only a lacy white bra.

I moaned, and instantly moved my hands to the back of her bra. "Yes, let's see them without the barrier of clothing. Clothing can be so annoying, you know." I kissed up the side of her neck as I unhooked her bra, and slid the bra off her shoulders, letting it drop down to the floor with her shirt.

I licked my lips as I admired her body.

She smiled. "So, what do you think? Do you like?"

I pulled her close. "Baby, you know I _love_." I bent down so that my mouth could pay the attention that was due to her breasts.

I gently backed her down onto the bed. She lay down on the bed to continue letting me kiss and suck her breasts.

"Take your clothes off," she ordered bluntly.

I grinned. "Well, _you_ don't wait any time." I did as told, pulling my T-shirt up and off. I tossed it to the floor, and was about to undo my belt when her cell phone rang.

"Don't answer it!" I ordered.

She grabbed her phone and looked at the caller ID. She then gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but it's my mother. It could be about the kids."

I sighed; defeated. I couldn't argue with that.

Kelly opened her phone. "Hello, Mom. What's up?"

She listened, then smiled. "Put them on."

I listened as she talked to Hermés and Helena. "I miss you too! Don't worry, Mommy will be home real soon, and I'll bring you guys presents!"

I smiled as she continued to talk to them.

Kelly smiled brightly. "Put her on!" She looked at me. "Lily!"

I smiled just as brightly, and sat down next to her on the bed. She put her phone on speaker.

"Daddy?" Lily asked.

Kelly smirked at me. "She's such a Daddy's girl!"

I grinned proudly. "Daddy's here, Princess! I miss you. Do you miss Daddy?"

"I miss you, Daddy," Lily said.

I had tears in my eyes. "I miss you too, Sweetheart. So much! But Daddy will be home soon. Okay?"

Lily giggled.

I laughed too. "I'll take that as it's okay."

"Lily, it's Mommy. Do you miss me too?" Kelly asked.

"Mommy!" Lily said, sounding excited.

"I'll see you soon. I miss you so much!" Kelly said.

"I miss you, Mommy," Lily said.

It's was Kelly's turn to get teary-eyed.

"I'm back. I can tell all three of them are happy they got to talk to you. They miss you!" Ann said, coming back onto the line.

"Kelly clicked the speaker phone off for some reason, and sat up straighter. "We miss them too. Well, the week will be over before they know it!"

I was getting bored. I unbutton and unzipped Kelly's jean shorts, then pulled them off. I tossed them to the floor.

She shot me an amused smirk, and shook her head as if to say, "You're bad."

I wasn't done. I pulled off her underwear and tossed that to the floor as well.

She looked at me funny, and pointed to her phone, as if to remind me that she was talking to her mother.

I raised my eyebrow, and smirked at her as if to ask her, "Since when has that ever stopped me?"

I then crawled down her body, and let my mouth make contact with its goal.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed, her head thrown back a bit. "Nothing," she then added.

I smiled at her. I knew her mother must have asked why she had just moaned.

I went at it again, this time letting my tongue probe her deeper.

She threw her head back all the way this time, and her moan was drawn-out this time as well. "Uuugh!"

She glared at me. "I'm sorry, Mother, but Matthew thinks he's being cute by going down on me while I talk to you."

I instantly felt my face turn red. I gave her a shocked look, mixed with annoyance.

She smirked; apparently satisfied with herself. "Yeah, you should have seen him our first night on the ship. He actually threw a tantrum when I was too tired to have sex! We made up though. Mm, the sex was incredible that night!"

My mouth dropped open. I could not believe she was telling her mother about our sex life!

She talked a little while longer, then hung up.

"What the hell was that?" I asked as soon as she had done so.

She gave smirked. "It was me talking with our kids and my mother. You talked to Lily, remember?"

"You know what I mean." I was unamused. "Why did you tell your mother all about our sex life?"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "That? It's no big deal. I've always told my mother everything. We love sharing tips, and laugh at each other's funny stories."

I crinkled my nose. "You discuss your sex life with your mother and she discusses hers with you? That's sick!"

She crossed her arms over her chest, and gave me a look. "Oh, come on! You're a guy. You can't tell me you haven't discussed your sex life with one of your friends."

I shook my head. "No, Kel, I don't recall ever doing that! And if I did, it wasn't that detailed. I wouldn't go telling anyone about an argument we had. And I _certainly_ wouldn't talk to either of my parents about my sex life or, Heaven forbid, _theirs_. That's just... Sick!"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! How do you think you were made? How do you think _I_ was made?"

I shuttered. "I don't want to think about that. How much have you told your mother about us?"

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. I usually tell her when it's incredible, which is almost every time."

"_Almost_ every time?" I didn't know whether to be insulted that she didn't consider every time incredible, or that she told her mother almost every time we've made love!

She shrugged. "Well, sometimes, it's just not the best. Don't get me wrong—I never have to fake it with you. But, sometimes either you're too tired or perform well, or I'm too tired to enjoy it. Sometimes both!"

I threw my hands in the air. "I don't believe this!"

"What are you having such a cow about?" Kelly asked.

"First off, our sex life should be private, and second off, I _always_ perform well."

Kelly smirked. "Keep telling yourself that."

"That's it!" I picked up my shirt and put it back on.

She sighed. "Oh come on, Honey! I'm just trying to get you to lighten up a bit! I'm sure there's times where I don't perform well either. We have four kids total to take care of. It can be a lot to handle sometimes."

I was too angry for words. "Don't 'Honey' me! I need some time away from you."

She smirked. "Stop being so dramatic. Where are you going to go? We're on a ship in the middle of the ocean!"

I shot her a nasty look. "Thankfully, it's a big ship. And, how's this for dramatic? I'm out of here!" I opened the door, then exited the room, letting the door slam loudly behind me. I then headed for the bar. I needed a drink.

~Kelly~

I couldn't believe how Matthew was acting! I swear he acted like a little kid sometimes the way he threw tantrums! I put my bra and shirt back on, then slipped my underwear and shorts back on as well. I put my flip-flops on, then headed out of the room. Matthew wasn't the only one who could enjoy the ship!

I was to angry with him I could scream. He was totally overreacting, and frankly I was sick and tired of his little temper tantrums! So I told my mother whenever I had great sex with my husband. Who cared? It wasn't like I was broadcasting it in _OK!_ Magazine.

I walked to the elevator, steaming mad, but then I thought better of walking around aimlessly. What I needed was to relax by the pool.

So, I headed back to the room, put my swimsuit on, grabbed my beach bag, then left for the pool. If Matthew came back to the room, let him wonder where I was, I figured. Besides, he said he wanted time away from me. Well, he could have it!

When I arrived at the pool, I found a lounge chair by the pool, then took out my sunblock from my bag. I applied it to all my exposed areas except for my back. I sighed. Darn it! I could get some of my back, but I wouldn't be able to get all of it by myself. Darn Matthew for being such an ass!

I applied it to my shoulders and lower back, then my upper back. The middle of my back was the hard part.

"Do you need help?"

I looked over at the sound of the voice, and smiled when I saw an extremely good-looking guy. He looked like he could be a lifeguard, what with his spiky blond hair and chartreuse eyes. He was wearing nothing but a pair of white board shorts that had a little sun on them. He looked to be around my age, maybe slightly younger.

"I'd hate to impose," I said.

He shook his head. "Na! Don't even worry about it. I'm always happy to help out a beautiful woman."

"You flattered me into it. Here ya go," I said, handing him the bottle.

He grinned, displaying his perfectly straight white teeth.

"So, what's your name?" he asked as he coated my back for me.

"You really don't know who I am?" I asked.

"Should I?" he asked in return.

"I'm Kelly Rutherford. I'm from _Gossip Girl_," I answered.

"Never seen it," he said.

"_Melrose Place_?" I tried.

He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I've never been much of a TV watcher. I was always more of an outdoor person. Even as a kid, you'd hardly ever find me at home. I was always out either playing ball with my friends, or at the beach trying to catch a good wave. I'm from Malibu."

My face lit up. "You're from California too? I'm from LA! Well, I was born in, Kentucky, but I live in Los Angeles from the end of March until the beginning of July. Then I live in New York City."

He nodded. "Cool! So you get the best of both worlds so to speak—west _and_ east coast."

I nodded as well, and smiled. "Yeah, I guess I do." My stomach rumbled, and I quickly placed my hand over my stomach; embarrassed.

He smirked. "Hungry?" He had finished coating my back. He recapped the bottle, and handed it to me.

I nodded. "Thanks! Yeah, I guess I am. I forgot to eat lunch today." My fight with Matthew had made me forget all about lunch. I put the bottle back into my bag.

He extended his hand. "Well, I could go for something to eat as well. What do you say we go take advantage of all the free food they have on here for us?"

I hesitated. "I'm married, you know."

He shrugged. "I'm not asking you out on a date. I'm just asking you to fill your stomach with me. It's no fun eating alone."

I smirked. "Well, when you put it _that_ way." I took his offered hand.

He grinned. "Cool!" He stood up, and pulled me up with him. He then motioned for me to walk in front of him. "Ladies first!"

I gave him a polite smile, then headed toward the poolside buffets. Why not? He was right. It was no fun eating alone. And, since Matthew was nowhere to be found, I might as well eat with this guy. I made a mental note to myself to ask him his name.

~Matthew~

I headed to the ships' lounge, which of course had a bar. I sat at the bar and ordered a drink. There was two other guys at the other end of the bar, sipping their drinks and talking about a ballgame.

"Where's the wife?"

I looked over to my right as Annalisse sat down next to me.

I smirked. "Are you stalking me?"

She smirked back. "Don't flatter yourself!" She winked, then turned to the bartender and ordered a strawberry daiquiri before turning her attention back to me."I got bored sitting around in my room. The TV channels they have suck! All two of them." She rolled her eyes.

"You should be out on the ship having fun anyway—not cooped up in your room watching television," I told her.

"Well, _you_ should be hanging out with your wife." She nodded toward my drink. "Not hanging out in a bar, drinking so early."

I shrugged. "It's always five o'clock somewhere, right?" I downed the rest of my drink.

She nodded. "True. So, you want to tell me what's wrong?"

I sighed, and put my now empty glass down on the counter. I looked at her as she sipped her daiquiri. "What makes you think something's wrong? My wife could just be taking a nap."

She nodded. "Also true. But, judging from the sour expression on your face, and judging from the fact that you're drinking alcohol so early, I think something is up."

I looked away. "I don't wanna talk about it." I didn't want to be like Kelly, and go dishing out details on my personal life—especially not with someone I had barely known a full day. I looked at her again. "Besides, you're drinking alcohol too." I nodded at her daiquiri.

She smiled. "I have an excuse. I'm a bit of a lush."

I nodded. "Got ya."

We sat in silence for a moment as she finished up her daiquiri. Then she turned to me. "Come on! Let's go for a walk around the ship. You can tell me what's wrong."

"I said I'd rather not talk about it," I reminded her, though I slid off my bar chair anyway.

"Ah, come on!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me along. "It's not good keeping something inside that is upsetting you. You'll feel much better once you tell someone."

I followed her out of the lounge with a sigh. I guess she did have a point.


	8. Chapter 8

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 8: Suspicious Minds**_

~Matthew~

"And that's about it!" I had explained the situation while Annalisse and I walked around the ship aimlessly. I couldn't believe I had told her about going down on my wife as she talked to her mother. Obviously I didn't go into detail, but it was still embarrassing to even say the word to a woman whom I had just met.

"Wow," Annalisse said once I had finished telling the story, "I can definitely see how it would be embarrassing for her mother to hear what you were doing."

I nodded. "To find out that Kelly's been telling her mother about our sex life all this time only makes it all the more embarrassing."

Annalisse smirked. "Well, you always hear about men being the pigs, and the ones to brag to their friends about their sexual conquests, but really, women can be just as bad. I know it may be embarrassing, but think of it this way. She was telling her mother good things about your sex life. Sure, there were a few setbacks thrown in, like your argument, but women are gossips. It's what we do. We mean no harm by it. When we experience something we love, such as great sex, we want to talk about it. And you know her mother wouldn't spread it around. It's not like Kelly told a magazine or something."

I rolled my eyes. "You sound like my wife. She told me it's not like she told _OK! Magazine_."

Annalisse nodded. "Well, it's true!" She grinned at me. "You should feel lucky."

I snorted. "Ha! Yeah, right. Besides, she said I'm good in bed _most_ of the time. She's not always satisfied."

She gave me a look. "Come on. What woman ever is? Just be thankful that she finds it good more than she finds it bad."

"I guess when you put it _that_ way," I grumbled.

"Also, you can't tell me you never mentioned something to one of your friends about your sex life," Annalisse continued.

I looked at her. "Now you're _really_ starting to sound like my wife!"

Annalisse grinned. "She sounds like a smart woman!" We entered the pool area. "You hungry? The smell of those French fries is getting to me."

I suddenly was aware of my empty stomach. "Yeah. I haven't even eaten lunch yet. I forgot about it." I guessed the fight with Kelly had made me forget. But, now that I was talking it out, I was feeling the hunger pains.

"Let's go eat then!" Annalisse pulled me out onto the deck by the arm. She was a forceful one—very take charge.

"I guess, maybe I _have_ talked to friends about my sex life in the past. But it was never too detailed. And I'd never tell my parents." I crinkled my nose at the thought.

She smirked. "Well, I'm sure she doesn't give too much detail either. And some just don't find it gross talking to their parents about sex. I'm not one of those people, but a lot of my friends are."

I sighed. "I guess I might have overreacted a little bit. I was just so embarrassed!"

Annalisse stopped me. She placed a hand overtop of my shoulder. "Listen, you have a beautiful wife who loves you. Don't let this ruin your honeymoon. She only brags about your sex life because she loves having sex with you, and she loves you."

I smiled. "I think you might be right. Thank you."

She grinned. "I'm _always_ right!"

I laughed, and we hugged. I was glad I had found a new friend in her.

"Now let's go get some food!" Annalisse said.

I nodded. "Sounds good!"

We then walked off to the buffet. I placed my hand over her lower back to keep the same pace as we headed there.

~Kelly~

"So, where is your husband?" my new friend asked me before digging into his burger.

I smirked. "I think I should get your name before I go discussing my private life."

He blushed, then swallowed the bite he had in his mouth. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy. I was just curious." He extended his hand to me. "I'm Chad. Chad Angel."

I shook his hand with a smile. "Chad Angel? Well, that's a unique name."

He shrugged, and pulled his hand back so that he could pick up his burger with both hands. "Chad's not."

I nodded. "True, but anything paired with Angel sounds unique."

He nodded. "Good point." He took another bite of his burger.

I bit into one of my fries. I hadn't had fries in a while, and these were _so_ good.

"So, how old are you?" I asked after a few fries.

"I'm thirty-nine. I hit the big 4 O next year, so I'm enjoying my last year in the thirties with a cruise. This is my birth week actually. My birthday is tomorrow."

I smirked. "So, you're actually thirty-eight, and will be thirty-nine tomorrow."

He nodded. "Yeah." He took a sip of his soda, then grinned at me. "I'm always aging myself before the actual day."

I laughed. "When you get to be my age, you don't want to age yourself any earlier than you have to."

"Oh, come on! You can't be a day over thirty-five," Chad said to me.

I blushed. It always felt good when someone thought I was younger than I was. "Actually, I'm forty-three. I just turned it last month."

"Really? Wow. You certainly don't look it!" Chad said.

I smiled, still blushing. "Thank you! That makes me feel good." I took a bite of my hot dog, and looked around the pool deck. It was nice eating by the pool. It made it feel even more like a vacation. I nearly choked on my hot dog when my eyes fell upon my husband and Annalisse. I swallowed it down, then took a sip of my soda to stop it from going down so slow. Annalisse and my husband were facing each other. She was smiling at him with her hand on his shoulder. I was going to kill her. Then, I saw him hug her. As if that weren't enough, they headed to the buffet with his hand over her lower back.

"What's wrong?" Chad asked. "Not to sound cliched or anything, but you look like you've just seen a ghost!"

I looked at him. "You wanted to know where my husband is? He's right over there with that woman young enough to be his daughter." I nodded towards the buffet line.

Chad looked over. "Oh."

I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. Even so, I needed to occupy my hands so I couldn't head over and strangled them both. So, I picked up my hot dog, and began gnawing on it.

~Matthew~

"So, were you able to talk your wife into doing the motorcycle excursion tomorrow?" Annalisse asked me.

I shook my head. "She really doesn't want to. I think we're just going to stick to our original plan of shopping and eating. I guess it would be kind of weird for me to do a motorcycle excursion when I don't know how to ride. Besides, I can't really picture my wife on a motorcycle."

Annalisse laughed. "Good point. Though, can you see her character Lily on a motorcycle?"

We both burst into laughter.

"Uh, _no_. Maybe when she was a teenager, but not now. That is even less likely than Kelly on a motorcycle!" I winked at her.

She winked back. "Well, have fun tomorrow. Don't let the Mexicans trick you into paying more for something than it's worth. Always wait for them to offer a lower price. Also, don't let them talk you into buying things you don't really want or need. They have a habit of doing that to the tourists."

I nodded. "Thanks for the tips."

"Oh, and there's one more very important tip," she added.

"What's that?" I asked with an amused smile.

"Don't drink the water!" she said.

I laughed. "Duly noted."

She smiled at me, then sighed. She pat her stomach. "Okay, I'm full. Are you going to go back to your wife now?"

I nodded. "I better. She's probably wondering where I am. I have some apologizing to do. I hate having to do that."

She smirked. "Don't we all? That's why I try not to make a habit of doing it."

"Haha," I said as we headed towards the automatic doors that led from the pool deck into the elevator hall. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Kelly on the other side, sitting with a blond surfer type. They were having lunch together, looking like they were deep in conversation.

"Who's _that_?" Annalisse asked, noticing as well.

I sighed. "I'd like to know that too."

It was as if Kelly sensed I was looking, for she looked over at me. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed Annalisse. As if she had a right to complain when she was sitting with some blond stranger!

I shot her the same look, then took Annalisse's arm in my own. "Let's go."

"Where should we go?" Annalisse asked.

"Anywhere but here," I said.

She nodded. "Right!"

With one last dirty look at Kelly (and receiving one in return), I headed out to the elevators with Annalisse. I just couldn't stand to look at Kelly a second longer.

~Kelly~

"Well, _he_ didn't look pleased," Chad stated.

"Yeah, well, I'm not too pleased with him either," I grumbled.

As we finished our lunch, I had told him about Matthew's and my fight. I knew Matthew probably wouldn't be very pleased to hear that, but I didn't care. I needed someone to talk to. Besides, I was pretty sure he was venting to Annalisse about me anyway.

"So, do you want to swim or something?" Chad asked.

"Aren't we supposed to wait fifteen minutes after eating before swimming to avoid cramps?" I asked, amused.

He grinned. "Na! That's just an old wive's tale."

I smiled. "Thanks, but I'm kind of drained. I think I just want to go back to my room and take a nap."

"Aw, come on! Take a nap when you're on vacation? Why don't you come meet my friends? They're here with me." Chad looked at his watch. "We go off and do our own thing for an hour a day so as not to get sick of each other, but they're due back to meet me for a swim in five minutes." He smiled at me. "So, what do you say?"

I smiled, but shook my head. "I'm sorry, but maybe another time. I really am tired. I just wanna take a nap."

He shrugged. "Well, all right. Do you want me to walk you back to your room?"

I shook my head. "No, it's okay. You wait here for your friends. I'll be fine. Thanks for having lunch with me. It was nice meeting you!"

To my surprise, he pulled me in for a hug. "Thank _you_ for having lunch with _me_!" He pulled away. "And, the pleasure was all mine." He winked at me and grinned.

I grinned too. "Bye for now."

I turned and left, hearing him say goodbye in return.

I went through the doors, through the indoor eating area, and through the opening to the elevator hall. I pressed the up button, then got onto the elevator. I was glad no one else was on it.

I sighed, when the doors closed in front of me. I was too drained to even worry about what my husband was doing with Annalisse. It hurt too much to wonder anyway.

~Matthew~

"Come on. Let's go swimming. You're in too foul of a mood to just sit here and pout. It's only going to make the anger consume you even more. Besides, you don't even know if anything is going on between Kelly and that guy. Obviously she just met him. They were probably just having a friendly lunch together like you and I were." Annalisse gave me a friendly smile. We were sitting in the lounge across from each other. I was pouting, and Annalisse was watching me.

"Either that, or she's having an affair with him," I said, my stomach suddenly feeling like a ball of led was in it.

She gave me a look. "Come on. Do you honestly believe that?"

I shrugged.

She rolled her eyes. "You're just being silly!"

I sighed. "I suppose." I glanced at her. "You don't have to stay with me when I'm like this, you know."

She hit the air with her hand. "Nonsense! I'm your _friend_. What kind of friend would I be if I just left you in your time of need instead of trying to cheer you up?"

"I don't want any cheering up," I grumbled, looking to the floor.

She smirked, then got up and took my hand. "Come on! Everyone likes being cheered up." She winked at me. "They just don't realize it sometimes."

I sighed, and looked up at her again. "You're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

She shook her head. "Nope! Not until you swim with me."

I rolled my eyes, but, with a sigh, I allowed her to pull me up and off my chair. "At least let me go change into my suit first."

She nodded. "All right. I already have my suit on underneath my clothes, so I'll head to the pool ahead of time and get us a couple of drinks. You go change, then meet me down there."

I sighed. "All right."

We got into the elevator. We got to my floor before the Sky Deck, where the pool was, so I got out first.

"What's you're room number?" she asked me as I left.

I looked over my shoulder at her. "7297. Why?"

She grinned. "So I know where to hunt you down at if you don't show up at the pool." The doors shut, in front of her before I could respond to that.

I shook my head, then headed to my room. When I found it, I opened the door, and entered the room. I shut the door behind me, then walked in. It was then that I found Kelly sleeping on the bed.

Well, she was't out galavanting with that surfer punk at least. And, better yet, he wasn't in her bed. Not that I ever really believed she'd cheat on me.

I kissed her cheek, and pulled the covers tighter over her. She didn't stir.

I then went into the bathroom, used the toilet, flushed (and remembered to put the seat back down in case Kelly woke up), and washed my hands. Finally, I changed into my swim trunks, then grabbed a towel, and left the room after giving Kelly one last check.

Whistling, I got into the elevator, and pressed the button for the Sky deck. It made me feel silly now for ever worrying about her and Surfer Dude. I'd apologize to her and soon as I was done swimming and she was done with her nap.

~Kelly~

When I woke up, I instantly looked around for Matthew, but he was nowhere to be found. I wondered if he had even come back yet. I suddenly felt sick. I knew deep down he would never cheat on me, but it was _very_ deep down. I knew how he loved girls in their twenties. I don't know what it was other than they were still naturally beautiful. They had no wrinkles or lines, and their breasts were still perky. Also, they had a lot more energy than women in their forties do. Come to think of it, I knew _exactly_ why Matthew preferred younger girls. I just didn't think it was right to choose girls that much younger than him. I know he chose to marry _me_, but he had chosen a girl in her twenties as his first wife. I was beginning to wonder if he regretted marrying me. I mean, here we were on our honeymoon, and he still seemed to prefer hanging with a girl in her twenties.

I sighed. I looked at the clock. It was five thirty. I'd have just enough time to shower, then get ready for dinner.

I gathered up some fresh undergarments, then headed into the bathroom. After I had gone to the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and washed my hands, I turned the shower water on to as warm as I could stand it. Then, I stripped down, and stepped into the shower. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, letting the warm water wash over my face and body.

I washed my hair, and then left the conditioner in as I washed the rest of my body. I then shut off the water, then stepped out of the shower and dried off.

I spent the next fifteen minutes getting ready, then decided to head down to the Internet Cafe. I had a half hour until dinner, so I'd have just enough time to check my emails.

I left the room, letting the door shut and click behind me.

As I headed down the elevators to the Atlantic deck, I couldn't help but wonder where in the heck my husband was, and if he was still with that two-bit hussy.

~Matthew~

"Ah! It's so relaxing out here, I don't want to have to get up for dinner," Annalisse said to me as we lie on our backs on our lounge chairs, our sunglasses protecting our eyes from the harsh light.

I stretched. "What time is it anyway?" I hadn't worn my watch because it wasn't waterproof.

She glanced at her waterproof watch. "Wow. It's ten till six! Time sure flew by."

I sat up straight. "Really? Wow. It seems like we had just come down for a swim!" I said. We had swam together for a while, and gone down the water slides a good ten times. Then, we had some drinks in the hot tub, and finally spent the last half hour or so just lying in the sun. I could hardly believe we had been down there four hours!

"I'm just going to eat something at the pool buffet. I don't feel like changing into nice clothes. You gonna join me?" Annalisse asked, still lying down.

I shook my head. "Sorry, but my wife is probably getting worried. Besides, I want to have dinner with _her_. It's nothing against you, it's just that, well, she's my wife, and I love her."

Annalisse swatted the air. "Of course! I'm sorry. I just figured you were still angry with her for having lunch with that guy."

I blushed, suddenly feeling stupid about the whole way I had overreacted when I saw the two of them together. "When I came back, she was napping in our room, so I guess I was just being paranoid."

Annalisse smirked. "It's okay. It happens to the best of us. Have fun, and enjoy your dinner!"

"Thanks," I said. "Hopefully I will." That all depended on whether or not Kelly could forgive me. I then headed out of the Pool area, and back to the elevators.

As I headed back up to the room, I hoped Kelly wasn't _too_ angry with me.

~Kelly~

When I got to the table, everyone was there but Matthew and Annalisse. I sat down, feeling the dread start to fill up in my stomach again. I hadn't thought he'd cheat on me, but what if I was wrong? What if he really was cheating on me, and they were in our room right now, making love on our bed? _No_, they'd probably go to _her_ room. That way they could be sure I wouldn't be there or walk in on them. He had cheated on Naama. True, it was with me, but the fact remained that he cheated. _Once a cheater, always a cheater._ I suddenly felt as if I was going to throw up.

"Are you okay, Kelly? You suddenly look pale," Sandy said to me.

I shook my head. "Um, I am starting to feel a little nauseous. I think I'm just going to skip dinner tonight."

"Maybe it's the ship. A lot of people get seasick. At least we'll be docked tomorrow," she said.

I nodded. "Yeah, that will be good. Have a good night."

I took the napkin that the waiter had placed on my lap and I set it on the table, then I stood up, and headed for the door.

"I hope you feel better!" Sandy called after me.

I was too worried to respond. I got back onto the elevator and headed up to the room, praying to God I did not find my husband in bed with another woman.

~Matthew~

I was a little late since I got a late start on getting ready for dinner. I headed down to the table and saw that everyone was there except for my wife. Well, besides Annalisse, who of course was eating by the pool.

I suddenly got a feeling of dread in my stomach. _What if she's with Surfer Dude?_ As soon as the thought filled my head, I thought I was going to throw up.

_What if she's in the room with him right now? What if she was waiting for you to head down to dinner so she'd know you'd be gone for a while?_

I didn't even get to the table. I turned and headed right back to the elevators.

I pressed the button to our floor.

When I arrived on the right floor, I practically ran to the room. I used my card key, and yanked the door open once the light had turned green.

Kelly looked up at me in surprise. "Where were you?" she asked at the same time I asked, "Where were you?."

"I was a little late for dinner," I said,

Kelly looked down at the floor. "Because you were still with her?"

I knew who she meant by "her."I nodded. "Nothing happened. We just had a few drinks together, then got some lunch. After lunch, we hung out by the pool until dinnertime. I lost track of time, and didn't get up here until five till. That's why I was late getting down there. Where were _you_? With him?"

She knew who I meant by "him."

She shook her head. "Chad just helped me put some sunblock on, then we were both hungry, and you were nowhere to be found, so we had lunch together. It was no big deal. He told me how he is here to celebrate his thirty-ninth birthday with some friends. Then we talked about our ages, and my job. That is it. Then, he went back to swimming with his friends, and I took a nap. After that, I took a shower and got ready for dinner. I went to check my emails in the Internet Cafe. Then, I went to dinner. When I didn't see you or Annalisse, I thought..." She trailed off. "So, I left to go try to find you."

I smirked. "Annalisse didn't want to bother getting dressed up, so she decided to just eat by the pool. I went up to the room, got dressed, then headed down to the table. When I didn't see you there, _I_ thought..." I trailed off too. "So, I took off without even going to the table."

"You thought what?" she asked in almost a whisper.

I held my head down low. "I thought you were cheating on me with that guy."

"I can't even get angry with you for that, because I thought you were cheating on me with Annalisse." Kelly's voice had a mixture of amusement and relief in it.

I looked at her. "Really? Baby, I'd _never_ cheat on you!"

She nodded. "I know. But the mind can play tricks on you. I thought of how you cheated on Naama with me, and then the old saying, 'once a cheater always a cheater' got into my head. After that, I was sick to say the least."

"Yeah, well, you've been married two other times before, and neither marriage lasted too long. I thought maybe you could be sick of me already." I knew it sounded stupid as soon as I said it, but hey. I was a guy, and guys did and said stupid things sometimes.

"Those marriages ended because both men were not the right guy for me. It wasn't because I got tired of them. It was because I saw who they really were. As for _you_, well," she stroked my cheek. "I know who you are, and that is why I married you. I love you, and I don't need any other man but you."

"And I only cheated on my wife because I couldn't resist you." I placed my hands around her waist. "Now that I have the woman of my dreams, I'll never cheat again."

She looked away. "I'm sure at the time you married her, you thought Naama was the woman of your dreams."

I took her chin between my fingers, and forced her to look at me. "Yeah, well, it's different with you. I just feel it. I'm sure you thought your ex-husbands were the greatest when you married them."

She smiled. "It's different with _you_. _I_ feel it."

I smiled too. "Good!" At least one crisis had been averted. Now I just had to see if she'd forgive me for the way I had acted earlier. _Man_ I hated apologies! But they had to be done.

~Kelly~

Matthew sighed, then pulled me closer. "Baby, I'm so sorry I overreacted when you told your mother about what I was doing to you. And I'm also sorry I got so upset when I found out you always tell her about our sex life."

I smiled. "You're apologizing? Hold on, let me crack out the video camera!"

He laughed. "It's not _that_ uncommon. I screw up quite a lot!"

I nodded. "True."

He stuck his tongue out at me.

I laughed. "What? You're the one who said it! No, really, I'm sorry too. I should have asked you first if you minded me discussing our sex life with my mother. But, it's just what girls do! Well, usually they talk about it with their friends, but my mother is my best friend, so... I guess it might be a little weird, but I don't get grossed out too easily."

"And, I guess I wasn't being honest with myself. Maybe sometimes I _do_ share stories about our sex life. I just don't have too many friends besides Penn and Connor, and I don't really think they'd care to know about our sex life." He grinned.

I laughed, and shook my head. "No, probably not! I'll tell you what. From now on, I won't talk to my mother about our sex life when you're in the room."

He nodded. "Good! And can you please leave telling about our sex life limited to your mother?"

I nodded as well. "As long as you don't go bragging to a lot of your friends. One will suffice. I don't want you with a big group of friends, discussing our private sex life."

"Deal!" He got a sly grin on his face. "Now, wanna kiss on it?"

I smiled, then pulled him in for a passionate kiss. "And another thing," I said once breaking the kiss.

"Hm?" he asked.

"I'm sorry I suggested that you weren't good in bed. You always are. Whenever I don't enjoy it as much, I'm just tried or have a headache—not a fake one either. "And, while were on the subject of fake..." I brushed my lips against his left ear. "I meant it when I said I never have to fake it when I'm with you. You're the only one of my husbands that I can say that honestly."

He licked his lips, his eyes getting that dark, hungry look I knew and loved all so well. "What do you say I finish what I started earlier?"

I smiled. "All right. And this time, without my mother."

"I would hope not! Do you know how creepy that would be?" he joked.

I laughed, and gently pushed him. "You know what I mean!" I pulled him close by the shirt, and brushed my lips against his left ear again. "And, if you do a good enough job, I may just reward you with the same thing in return."

His eyes darkened even more, and he moaned. He then pushed me backwards down onto the bed.

I grinned. The night was finally looking up!


	9. Chapter 9

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 9: Alejandro**_

~Kelly~

I woke up with a stretch and a smile. I looked over at my sleeping husband and smiled even more. I gently stroked some hair out of his eyes and kissed him, then headed to the bathroom.

The night before had been wonderful. After making love, we had dressed, then gone out and had dinner poolside. By then, Annalisse was gone. There went't too many people on the deck, surprisingly. We had eaten in a private little corner of the deck, so we had some privacy. The stars had been out, and it was just a beautiful night.

After our dinner, we kissed under the stars for a while, then got some ice cream for dessert and headed to a Cirque Du Soleil type of show in the ship's show room, the Venetian Palace.

It was wonderful, but I had enjoyed it even more when Matthew and I had gone back to our room and made love yet again.

I remembered later falling asleep with his arms wrapped around me from behind. It had been perfect!

I flushed the toilet and washed my hands, then stepped into the shower, letting the warm water fall over my face.

It's funny that, no matter how hot it may be outside, a warm shower _always_ felt good.

I half expected my husband to join me in the shower, but he never did.

I stepped out of the shower and dried off, then I headed back into the bedroom and grabbed some clean clothes.

I glanced over at him, and saw that he was still sleeping.

I smiled to myself as I got dressed. I guessed I had worn him out the night before.

After I was dressed for the day and had fixed my hair and put on my makeup, I decided I had better wake him. I was eager to get out and explore Mexico, and we still had to eat breakfast yet!

I slid onto the bed next to him, and gently stroked his cheek. "Honey, it's time to wake up. We're finally in Mexico."

He groaned, then turned on his side, and continued to sleep.

I rolled my eyes. "Baby, you need to get up so we can get going! I'm hungry. I wanna get breakfast."

He didn't stir.

I sighed. I guessed I was going to have to play hard ball. I rolled him back onto his back and straddled him. I began kissing down his chest.

He moaned, and his eyes finally opened.

I kissed back up his chest, then kissed his neck, jaw, and finally, his mouth. "Do you like this, baby?" I asked, my hand traveling down to gently caress his lower region.

He moaned his response.

I smiled, and brushed my lips against his left ear. "Because if you don't get up now and start getting ready, you're not going to get any of it until the vacation is over."

That worked. He sat up straight. "All right, all right, I'm up!" He shot me a nasty look. "In more ways than one. I bet you're not even going to take care of the problem you caused, are you?"

I smirked, and shook my head. "No time." I pat his thigh. "That's what cold showers are for."

I headed to the bathroom to wash my hands, smiling as I heard his grumbled complaints. That was one advantage to being a woman—having something that we would _always_ be able to hold against our man to get what we wanted. No need to worry though. I'd get what I wanted now, and tonight, I'd make sure we _both_ got exactly what we wanted and needed.

~Matthew~

"You know, my shower would have been a whole lot nicer if you had joined me," I complained to my wife as we headed off the ship after breakfast.

She held onto my arm, and smiled up at me. "Come on, we both know that if I had done that, then we'd be lucky to be out here by lunchtime."

I looked at her. "Would that really be such a bad thing?"

She sighed, then rested her head on my shoulder as we walked, her hand in mine. "Sort of. Don't get me wrong, I love making love with you, but we paid all this money to go on a cruise. I kind of want to explore now."

I kissed the top of her head. "Me too. It's just hard to say no to making love with you."

She grinned up at me. "Don't worry. There will be plenty of time for that on our trip!"

I grinned. "There better be!"

Her eyes darkened. "You know I love making love with you as much as you do, if not more."

I shook my head. "Uh, uh! There's no way you could love it more than I do."

We grinned at each other.

"We love it the same then," Kelly said, resting her head on my shoulder again.

Once again, I kissed the top of her head. "I'll go along with that! So, Annalisse told me that we have to not let the Mexicans sucker us into buying anything we don't want, and not to let them charge us more for something than it's worth."

I saw Kelly's expression turn to one of distaste. I knew it was at the mention of Annalisse's name. For some reason, she didn't like her. I knew it was because she was jealous of Annalisse, which I found incredibly hot. I loved it when Kelly got jealous. It made her all the more sexy to me.

I wrapped my arm tighter around her, and kissed her cheek. "But it doesn't matter the cost. If you see anything you want, just tell me, and I'll get it for you. I'd pay anything to make my beautiful bride happy."

This made the smile return to Kelly's face. "I love you. You're so good to me."

I stopped walking, and moved her so that she was facing me. "And I love _you_." I took her face in my hands, and kissed her deeply.

She sighed against my lips, and kissed me back with just as much passion.

"Mm, wanna head back to bed?" I asked as I broke the kiss. I raised my eyebrows up and down and grinned, hope coursing through me. I loved Mexico, but I loved my wife more.

Kelly smirked. "Nice try." She latched my arm in hers, and began walking again. "Let's go shop!"

I sighed, but followed along. Well, you couldn't blame a husband for trying!

~Kelly~

I hated that Annalisse was telling us what to do even when she wasn't around, but I knew I was just being silly. She was just trying to help out. Maybe I was being too hard on her. It was just, after going through two bad relationships, I really needed this one to work. If I lost Matthew, especially to a younger woman, I think _I'd_ lose it. Period. I knew I wasn't going to lose him though.

Matthew and I entered the first store, and I immediately saw a beautiful dress. It was long and flowing, and in a beautiful hot pink. It was cut like a fairy dress at the bottom. Around the waist there was a thick band with beads and beautiful embroidery.

Matthew wrapped his arms around me from behind, and kissed my neck. "You want that, Beautiful?"

I looked up at him, feeling nothing but love for him. "I really do."

"Well, then I'm going to buy it for you." He kissed me, and I felt as if I were floating on air. I had the best husband in the word! I was so lucky! Finally, I had gotten it right when it came to relationships. It wasn't just because he was buying me a pretty dress either. It was because, for the first time in my life, a husband of mine was treating me right. I trusted him more than I trusted myself. I knew he would never hurt me.

"What size? I know you're not a small. There is nothing small about these," he said as he placed his hands over my breasts.

I felt my face heat up with embarrassment. I laughed, and gently pushed his hands away. "Stop that! Not in public, Mister!"

"Well, then why don't I buy you this dress, and we go somewhere a little more private like our bedroom?" he purred into my ear as he moved his hands from my breasts down to my stomach.

I smiled, trying to think of a way to politely let him down, yet still give him a promise of what was to come. I didn't have to think for much longer, however, for the clerk started to head over.

I smiled apologetically at my husband, and shrugged. "Saved by the clerk!"

He pouted and I smiled, knowing I had won yet again.

~Matthew~

"You want this dress?" the Mexican clerk asked my wife, as he came over to the dresses. "What size?"

Kelly smiled at me, then turned to the clerk with a smile. "Medium, please."

The clerk found a medium. "This is forty dollars."

I snorted. Don't get me wrong. Forty dollars was nothing to Kelly or I, but it was the principal. I knew that a simple dress like that went for a lot less in the tourist parts of Mexico such as Cozumel, where we currently were. I took my wife's arm. "Come on, Kel. We can find it cheaper than that."

My little trick worked. The Mexican clerk spoke right up. "You're lucky! I forgot it is on sale for twenty-five dollars."

"I'm pretty sure I saw one a few stores down for twenty," I lied.

"All right, all right! I'll give it to you for twenty," the clerk said.

"But, if _you're_ willing to change the price so easy, I bet the other store will change their starting price of twenty to even lower," I said.

The look on the guy's face was priceless!

Kelly shot me a look, then quickly spoke up before the clerk could. "Ignore my husband." She turned her attention so the clerk. "He's just playing around with you. The sale price of twenty-five dollars is more than fair."

The clerk smiled. "All right! You can pay right over here." He led us to the counter.

I took out my wallet and dug out a twenty and a five. I handed the bills to the clerk, and he took my money and thanked me.

Once the transaction was complete, he handed Kelly her bag with a smile. "Enjoy! Is there anything else I can get you?"

_My_ jealousy was the one kicking in now. I didn't like the way he was looking at my wife. "She's all set, thank you," I answered for her before taking her arm and gently yet quickly leading her out of the store.

"What was _that_ all about? We didn't see another one in another store. Heck, this is the first store we've looked at!" Kelly said to me as I dragged her out of the store. "And why are you in such a hurry to leave that one? We didn't even look around!"

"I didn't like the way he was looking at you. Besides, he's too pushy," I grumbled. "I could have gotten him to go down even more. You should have at least taken his last offered price of twenty."

She rolled her eyes. "That wouldn't have been fair since we really didn't see another dress for twenty like you made him believe we did.

"Yeah, well I still didn't like him," I said grumpily.

She smiled, and placed an arm around my waist. "You're jealous!"

"I'm not jealous! I just don't like men looking at my wife as if she is a piece of meat," I said.

She stopped me from walking, and pulled me in for a passionate kiss. "You're so sexy when you're jealous. Thank you for my dress. Let's go back to the ship so I can thank you properly."

I licked my lips, and looked at her. Was I hearing right? "Really?"

She nodded. "One time, and then we come back out and go shopping again."

I picked her up and carried her to the ship in response.

She laughed. "Put me down!"

I grinned. "In a minute!" If buying her something got me sex, I would buy her all of Mexico!

I didn't put her down until we got to the ship, and even then it was only because we had to show our IDs, and go onto the ship in single file.

However, once we got to the bedroom, it was on!

~Kelly~

"Mm... I'm so relaxed now," I said to my husband as we exited the ship for the second time that day. Making love with him had been incredible as usual. Now I was relaxed, and ready to shop again! Only this time I intended on looking at more than one thing per store.

"Mm, it _was_ really good, wasn't it?" Matthew asked with a grin.

I held onto his arm as we walked, a smile on my face as well. "Mm, yes, it was." I rested my head on his shoulder.

We headed to the next shop. This one was a shoe store. I had been wanting to get some new shoes. I wanted another pair of sandals for the cruise, and I wanted some flats for when I was back in LA. I still went there often enough when Daniel had the kids, and when I wanted to visit my mother. Then, for New York, I wanted new sneakers. I also wanted winter boots, but wasn't surprised when I found they didn't sell those in Mexico.

Anyway, first I looked for a decent pair of sneakers. I decided to try out the Shape-ups by Sketchers. I tried them some on, and found a nice, comfortable pair in turquoise and white. I decided Shape-ups would be best since I liked to walk, and did a lot of it—especially in NYC.

After that, I found some cute silver ballet flats. They also came in gold. Then I found a pair of ballet flats in black and white. I was trying to decide which pair to get.

"Buy all three. I'll get them for you," Matthew said, sitting down beside me on the bench.

I grinned. "Are you offering to get them for me to be nice, or because you want to get out of here?"

"I want to buy them for you because I love you," he said simply.

I kissed him. "Good answer. But I do have my own money you know. You're not the only actor on _Gossip Girl_." I smiled, and gently stroked his cheek to show I was only teasing.

He nodded. "True, but it makes me feel good, buying things for my wife."

I kissed his cheek. "Well, in that case, thank you. You should get something for yourself too though. Why not get some Shape-ups for men? Then we can walk together."

"Yeah, I'm not really a fan of walking," he joked.

I rolled my eyes. "We live in NYC. I think it's high time you got used to it! After all, you can't travel around on a skateboard with the kids."

"Well, _you_ can walk the kids while I skateboard," he teased.

I shot him a look.

"Or, I can get some of those sneakers so that I can help you walk them," he quickly added.

I grinned, and gently nudged him. "Now you're talking! It's a good thing you married me. Otherwise, you might still be trying to get around on that thing when you're eighty!" I joked.

"But then I'd have my cane to help push it along. It could be a new sport. You know, like skiing only with one pole instead of two, and I'd be on a skateboard instead of skis. Like snowboarding without wheels and snow, and with a pole," he joked.

He had me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. "You're crazy!" I said.

"Crazy in love," he said to me. He gently pushed my hair out of my face, then kissed me.

All I could do was swoon, and kiss him back, all the while wondering how I ever got so lucky to finally have the best husband in the world. It was about darn time!

~Matthew~

I ended up getting a pair of black Shape-ups with grey lining. They were pretty comfortable, though, I have to admit, I felt a little silly wearing such elevated shoes. They weren't _that_ elevated, but still. Guys usually didn't wear shoes that were elevated all.

I also found a nice pair of black sandals with gray detail that I knew would be great for when we got to the beach.

In the meantime, Kelly was trying on sandals in the women's section. When I went to see how she was coming along in picking out a pair, I saw that she was trying on a white pair. The problem? There was a good-looking Mexican who looked to be in his mid-thirties, smiling and flirting with her as he helped her put them on.

I immediately headed over, clearing my throat loudly as I got there.

Kelly and the guy both looked up at me.

I looked at the guy's name tag. His name was Alejandro. Of course it was. Just like the Lady Gaga song. I bet he used that a lot to pick up women. I knew so because, like him, I was a guy. If _my_ name were Alejandro, I'd try to pick up women by using that fact. That is, if I weren't already a happily married man.

Kelly smiled. "Hey, Honey! What do you think of these?" Kelly held out her right foot. Alejandro was still buckling up her left shoe as if she couldn't put her own shoes on.

She moved her foot from side to side, displaying a pretty white shoe with a strap over her toes, and a strap that buckled around her ankle.

"They look sexy on you. Then again, anything would look sexy on you, my beautiful wife." I eyed Alejandro as I said the 'my beautiful wife' part. I had added that part specifically, so that Alejandro knew she was off limits.

"Aw." Kelly blew a kiss as me, then turned to Alejandro. "See how lucky I am? Isn't my husband sweet?"

Alejandro nodded, then smiled at me. "He sure is!"

I smiled back, though my heart wasn't in it. He was just saying that to please Kelly, I knew.

He rubbed his hands over her left foot. "This shoe is beautiful on you! You have really beautiful feet. It shows them off!"

Kelly blushed. "Why thank you! I just got a pedicure before I left for the cruise." She examined her toes.

"She got the pedicure because we just got married before going on the cruise. We're on our honeymoon now," I told Alejandro, making sure once again that he knew Kelly was off limits. Another man touching my wife's feet was so not okay with me!

Alejandro stood up and faced me. "She's one lucky lady. You're a hot one! Muy Caliente!"

My jaw literally dropped for a moment. Why hadn't I noticed the flamboyant tone in his voice before? Boy did _I_ feel stupid! And oddly a bit flattered.

I smiled at him. "Why, thank you! You're pretty muy caliente yourself!"

He grinned. "Gracias, mi amigo."

I turned back to Kelly, suddenly feeling extremely awkward. "So, is that all, or would you like something else?"

Kelly stood up and smiled. I knew she was trying hard not to laugh. "Nope! I'm good." She held up her shoes for emphasis.

So, we got checked out, then said goodbye to Alejandro, and headed out of the store.

As soon as we were out of the store, Kelly burst out laughing. "You were so jealous thinking he was hitting on me. You should have seen the look on your face when he hit on _you_!"

I couldn't help but laugh too, even though I was embarrassed. "Yeah, yeah. The odd thing is, I was flattered, and it left me feeling good."

"Sorry, Darling, but we're not bringing another man into the bedroom!" Kelly teased. She laughed even harder.

I laughed. "Shut up!" I playfully pushed her.

She wrapped her arm around me, and was able to finally stop laughing after a moment. She kissed my cheek. "And we're _certainly_ never bringing another _woman_ into the bedroom, so you can get _that_ out of your head."

I laughed. "What? I never mentioned such a thing!"

She rolled her eyes. "You're a man, and I'm your wife. I know how you think."

"Yeah, well this man only ever wants you," I told her. I kissed her for emphasis.

She smiled. "Good answer." She rested her head on my shoulder, then we headed to do some more shopping.

It was true. Kelly was the only woman I'd ever want in the bedroom. Even so, it didn't hurt to _look_ at other women, did it? I felt like I wouldn't be a man if I didn't.

~Kelly~

Shopping had been fun. I got a cute outfit for my mother, and a Mexican snow globe for her boyfriend, who collects snow globes. Also, Matthew and I bought the kids each a cute tee shirt that had Mexico on it. We wanted to get them a souvenir from each place we docked at.

Finally, it was lunchtime, and time to find a nice Mexican restaurant to eat in. I was looking forward to this part the most. I always loved eating at new places that I normally would never get to eat at.

We ended up finding a nice little Mexican restaurant called La Choza. It was a quaint little restaurant and so cute! It was a pure Mexican restaurant, which is exactly the kind of restaurant I wanted to go to. The food was delicious.

For starters, we ordered tortilla chips with guacamole to dip them in.

I ordered a raspberry lemonade, and Matthew ordered a soda, but they had glasses of water on our table to have while we waited for our real drinks.

Matthew reached for his water glass.

I gasped. "Honey, don't drink that! Didn't you hear anything people say about not drinking the water in Mexico?"

Matthew just smirked. "That's just an old wives tale. Some people might get sick, but it's rare. They just have to warn you so they are protected in case something happens. Then they can say they warned you. It's like the warnings about side effects on medicines. Companies have to mention them to protect themselves even though, chances are, none of those side effects will ever occur. I have a tough stomach. Besides, they wouldn't have served us the water if it would make us sick."

I sighed, then shrugged, and sat back in my seat. "If you say so."

Matthew nodded. "I do." He took a sip of his water.

I rolled my eyes. I loved my husband, but he was a typical male, trying to act all macho, and acting as if he was invincible just because he's a man. I just hoped he wouldn't be sorry later.

Anyway, I ended up ordering the chicken and cheese quesadillas, and Matthew ordered a cheese and bean chimichanga with Spanish rice on the side. For dessert, we split churros and chocolate cake. Both had looked so good, so he ordered the churros, I ordered the chocolate cake, and we split both. Both were so delicious, but I knew we'd both want to head to the gym again before the cruise was over.

After we paid the bill and left the tip, we headed out to do a little more shopping before it was time to get back on the ship.

We stopped by a cute little jewelry shop, and I was looking at the things they had. They were unique. It wasn't a regular jewelry store. This one had necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and rings all with their own little unique Mexico style.

I found a beautiful silver necklace. The two sides crossed over the other in the front, and, in the bottom where they crossed over, a little circular purple amethyst hung.

"That would look beautiful on you! Purples and blues bring out brown eyes wonderfully," the lady behind the jewelry counter said to me.

"Well, then, let's see it so that she can try it on!" Matthew said.

"Honey, you already bought me enough already!" I said.

"Nonsense!" he said, hitting the air with his hand as if brushing my words off.

I smiled as the clerk handed him the necklace, and he put it on me.

He turned back to the clerk. "You're right! It looks beautiful on her. How much is it?"

"That will be three hundred after tax," the lady told him.

"Honey, it's too much," I said. It wasn't _that_ much money to us, but I felt bad having him buy me something so expensive when he'd already bought me so much already.

He had none of it. He bought it without even trying to Jew her down, which was good, for even in Mexico, I don't think a jewelry store is a place to bargain.

"Do you want to keep it on?" Matthew kissed my cheek.

I smiled. "It's a little fancy for what I'm wearing, and I don't want to lose it."

The lady gave me a very small purple velvet sack to put the necklace in, so Matthew took it off me and out it in the sack. He handed it to me and I kissed him.

We then thanked the clerk, then headed out of the store.

We looked around at other stores a bit, then I noticed Matthew had his hand over his stomach.

"Are you okay, Honey?" I placed my hand over his stomach, and gently rubbed it.

"I'm just feeling a little off," he said.

We happened to be passing by a drug store type store, so I pulled him into it.

"Let's get you some stomach medicine. I'm sure it will be more expensive on the ship. We really should have brought some with us from home just in case," I said.

I found some Pepto-Bismol, then grabbed a popsicle for myself. It was getting hot out, and I wanted something to cool off. I had just eaten, but a popsicle doesn't make a person full anyway. "Do you want one?" I asked, holding a popsicle up to my husband.

He shook his head. "Ugh! No thanks. Just the stomach medicine, please."

I bought the medicine and popsicle, feeling bad for him. "I told you not to drink the water," I said.

"It wasn't that. It is just a coincidence," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right! That was another typical male trait—never wanting to admit when he was wrong.

"Well, I think we've seen pretty much everything there is to see here anyway. Let's go," I said, taking my husband's arm and gently leading him to the ship as I ate my popsicle with my free hand.

When we got past security, and finally back into our room, I got the medicine cup filled with the Pepto-Bismol ready for him to take. "Here, Love. Drink up!" I said, handing it to him.

"Um, yeah, that's gonna have to wait!" he said before running into the bathroom. I could hear the seat being slammed up, followed by the sound of his retching.

I sighed, and shook my head. "You shouldn't have drank the water!" I said.

He responded by throwing up again.

I sighed again, then headed in to see if he was okay.

~Matthew~

"Are you all right, Baby? Why don't you take some medicine, then go lie down in bed?" Kelly asked me once I had finally finished throwing up. Well, I had finished for the time being anyway. I hoped that was the end of it. I nodded.

She had gently rubbed my back the whole time I was throwing up, and now she helped me stand up. I rinsed my mouth out in the sink as she flushed the toilet for me. I had been so relieved to finally stop throwing up (I had been throwing up for the past two minutes, which felt more like five minutes) that I had forgotten to flush it myself.

"Thank you, Baby," I said, kissing her cheek.

She gave me my medicine, which was still waiting for me, then helped me climb into bed. She pulled the covers over me, then turned the air up a bit so that I could stay cool.

Next, she disappeared into the bathroom.

I heard the water running and shutting off before she came out a moment later with a cool, damp cloth.

She brought it over to me, and wiped my forehead and neck, then finally my shoulders and chest. I had taken my shirt off sometime in between hurls, for I had gotten so overheated. I had also taken off my shoes and socks, but I still had my shorts on.

She wiped my mouth, then set the cloth aside. "Do you want me to help you get your jean shorts off too?"

I nodded. "Please."

So, she helped get them off so that I was left only in my underwear. Then, after stripping down to her bra and underwear, she climbed into bed with me, and rested her head on my shoulder. She kissed my chest. "I love you."

I stroked her hair, feeling better, but tired all of the sudden. "I love you too."

I felt my eyes closing on me, and before I knew what was happening, I was asleep.

I awoke around dinnertime, feeling good as new. It helped that I woke to Kelly's beautiful face smiling down at me as she stroked some hair out of my eyes.

"How are you feeling, My love?" she asked.

"I'd kiss you, but I don't know how good I'd taste, what with my barf and Pepto breath," I joked.

She laughed. "You're joking. That's a good sign."

I nodded. "I feel a hundred percent better, and even a little hungry. Tonight is Mexican night at dinner, right?"

Kelly nodded. "We probably shouldn't have eaten Mexican for lunch, but we can always eat at one of the buffets if you don't feel like Mexican again. I just wanted to make sure we went to a Mexican restaurant while we were in Mexico."

I stroked some hair out of her face. "I understand. And I could go for Mexican again."

"Are you sure? Do you think your stomach can handle that?" she asked with worry. She gently rubbed my stomach.

I kissed her cheek. "I'm sure. Whatever it was that made me sick is out of my stomach now."

She rolled her eyes. "You mean the water that I, among other people, warned you not to drink."

I shook my head. "There's no proof that it was the water. Even so, I think I'll pass on drinking water completely for the rest of the trip unless it's in a bottle."

She smirked, then gently mussed my hair and kissed me.

I moaned, and kissed her in return. I licked my lips when she broke the kiss. "I taste bad, don't I?"

She shook her head. "You _always_ taste good."

I lowered my eyes, suddenly feeling my love for her again. Though my love for her was always there, sometimes I just felt an extra burst of love for her. We kissed a little more, then decided we had better get ready since dinner was in ten minutes.

"Did you sleep the whole time I did?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I did a little reading."

"You could have gone down by the pool or found Sandy," I told her.

"I was worried about you. I was afraid you'd wake up and need me," she said.

I kissed her, then rested my forehead against hers. "I love you so much, you know that?"

She smiled. "Ditto."

We kissed again, then got ready for dinner, and headed down to eat.

Dinner had been delicious, and I had had soda. I drank no water and no alcohol. I didn't want to risk throwing up again—especially when I planned on making love to my wife to show her how grateful I was that she took such good care of me when I was sick.

After dinner and dessert, we went for a quick swim, then got redressed, and headed in for a show in the show room. There was a Mexican themed show with Mexican dancers dancing to Mexican songs, and Mexican singers singing Mexican songs. It was really nice.

Afterwards, we headed back to the room, and made love.

Making love on a cruise ship seemed better than any other time we made love.

"That was Muy Caliente!" I joked once we had finished making love, in reference to Alejandro, having hit on me earlier in the shoe store.

Kelly burst into laughter. "Stop it! You're going to get a vision of that guy in my head."

My eyes darkened. "I can't have _that_ now, can I?"

She licked her lips. "Uh oh. I know _that_ look. You have something to prove, and you want more, don't you?"

I licked my lips, then pretended to think about it. "Uh, yes and yes."

She smiled, and draped her arms over my shoulders, gently brushing the back of my neck with her fingertips. "Then prove it." Her eyes got dark like mine, and there was no way I could say no to _that_!

She giggled as I quickly pulled the covers over our heads, then got to work at proving that she certainly did not need Alejandro to please her when she had me.

We made love the rest for the night until we were too tired to make love any longer. Hey, I couldn't complain. And, despite me having gotten sick earlier, I had to say that, so far, this was the best day and night of the trip, and I knew the best was yet to come.


	10. Chapter 10

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 10: Be with You**_

~Matthew~

"Mm, I just woke up and this day is looking good already," I said as I woke to my wife naked on top of me. She was smiling down at me, her golden blonde hair dangling down around her. She looked like an angel with the sunlight hitting her hair.

"What can I say? I woke up in the mood," she purred.

I licked my lips, my hands instantly going to her breasts. "Well, then I think I should do something about that."

"Do you think you can satisfy me?" he asked, her tone so innocent, yet so _not_ innocent all at the same time. She kissed down my neck and tugged at my boxers.

I sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Why don't we find out?"

She grinned as she got my boxers off and tossed them to the floor. She positioned herself over me, and I felt myself instantly get aroused. "You wanna be on top?" I asked with surprise. We didn't do this position too often.

She shrugged. "What can I say?" She leaned down to brush her lips against my left ear. "I like being in control."

I moaned, and my moan quickly turned to a moan of full-blown pleasure as she lowered herself down onto my erection.

She smiled. "You like that?"

I licked my lips, my eyes so clouded with lust, I could barely even see straight. "You _know_ I do. Do _you_ like _this_?" I thrust into her, gentle the first time, so as not to hurt her. I liked to build up the pace, starting off slow, then gradually increasing it until she was screaming with pleasure. I loved teasing her that way. It made hers and my orgasms more intense.

She threw her head back with her eyes closed for just a moment. She licked her lips, then opened her eyes and looked at me. "It's good, but we both know you can do much better than _that_."

I grinned. "You want a little bit more? Hm?"

She threw herself down onto me. "**More**," she said firmly.

This time it was I who threw my head back and closed my eyes. "Gosh, Kel, are you trying to kill me?"

She shook her head. "No." She leaned down and brushed her lips against my left ear. "I'm trying to make you come inside of me."

"Ugh!" It was amazing how one could feel pleasure in a certain region by words alone. "Mm... You're really asking for it, you know that, Baby?" I asked her.

She smirked. "But of course."

That was it—I couldn't hold back any longer. I began to thrust into her harder and quicker.

Her head was thrown back again, and she closed her eyes. "Yes, Matthew! Ugh!" She opened her eyes and titled her head forward again to look at me. "Give it to me harder."

I moaned as I placed my hands on her hips and forced her down onto me over and over, my thrusts meeting her movements.

She licked her lips, her head thrown back and her eyes closed again.

"Yes! Just like that! Oh my gosh!" she screamed.

All I could do was moan, and quicken my pace.

She took my face between her hands and stared me deep int he eyes. "I want to come now, Matthew. Make me come _now_."

That was it. I thrust into her hard one last time, and that was the end of us both.

I swear her screaming in pleasure as she came made my orgasm all the more intense. It took me a moment to realize her scream wasn't only from her orgasm, but also because she had fallen off of me and onto the floor.

I quickly turned to my side and looked down onto the floor. "Oh my gosh, Kel are you all right?"

~Kelly~

"Okay, ow," I said, rubbing my head. I had hit it on the night stand on the way down.

"What happened?" Matthew asked with concern. He got off the bed, and helped me up. He set me down on the bed, and sat down next to me. "Did you bump your head?"

I nodded, and continued to rub my head. "The ship moved! It jerked, and I lost my balance. I fell right off you."

I could tell my Matt was trying not to laugh. "I know I'm good in bed, so much so that I can make the earth move, but now I can make the ship move too? Hm, maybe I should start charging you."

I shot him a look. I was embarrassed, and my head hurt. Needless to say, I was not amused.

He realized his mistake. "I'm sorry, Baby. I shouldn't joke." He gently rubbed my back. "Let me see your head."

I moved my hand and let him look at the spot on my head that I bumped.

He moved some hair out of the way as he examined the spot. "Thankfully there's no blood. I don't see any marks either. You probably will have a bump in a bit though."

"_Wonderful_," I said, still angry. I wasn't angry with him. I was just angry that I fell, even though it wasn't anyone's fault—except maybe the captain's for that sudden swerve.

"Maybe we should get dressed and head down to the infirmary so that a professional can take a look at you," he suggested.

I shook my head and gave my head one more rub. "No, I'm fine. The pain's starting to fade already."

"Are you sure?" he asked with concern.

I kissed him; grateful for his concern. "I'll be fine. Let's just shower, then go get some breakfast."

He smiled. "Together?"

I smiled too. "Sure! We always eat breakfast together."

He shook his head and smirked. "You know what I mean."

I smiled slyly and brushed my lips against his right ear. "I guess, if you think you can perform as well as you just did." I stroked him once, then headed to the shower, smiling at him over my shoulder.

He moaned, then jumped off the bed like it was on fire. He then ran after me as if the _floor_ were on fire.

I smirked. Yeah, today was going to be a good day.

~Matthew~

"Are you sure you're all right?" I asked Kelly as we ate our breakfast.

She rolled her eyes. "For the last time, I'm fine! I didn't hit it that hard. I was more surprised than anything."

"I'm glad you didn't fall when I made the shower move," I joked. The ship had jerked again when we were kissing in the shower. Thankfully, I already had Kelly in my arms, which prevented her from falling.

Kelly sighed. "This ship is being a pain today."

As if on cue, the captain's voice came over the intercom just then. "Attention passengers. Some of you might have noticed the ship jerking suddenly a couple times today. It is due to the ship's stabilizers being broken. I apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, there is nothing much we can do about it today, but I assure you, they will be fixed once we dock in The Grand Cayman Islands tomorrow. Until then, we ask that you please be careful as you walk around the ship, for it will be a bumpy ride at times. Thank you."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Great! It would have been nice to have had that warning earlier."

I grinned. "You have to admit though, it was kind of funny how we were making love and getting so into it then, just as you climax, the ship jerks and tosses you off me." I laughed at the thought. I knew I shouldn't, but I just couldn't help it. The whole situation was just too funny!

Kelly rolled her eyes again. "Oh, yes. It was just _hilarious_."

I stopped laughing, but smiled. I took her hand in my own and kissed it. "I love you. And at least I made you feel good, right?"

She took my hand and looked at me. "Until I hit my head." Her face broke into a smile. "Okay, I guess maybe it was a _little_ funny."

I grinned. "So, if your mother asks how the sex was on the ship, you can tell her the ship moved."

She joined me in laughing this time. "Yeah, that's a real story to tell her," she said sarcastically, yet amused.

We kissed, then went back to eating our breakfast and making small talk.

When we finished, we left a tip, then headed hand-in-hand out of the restaurant.

"Let's go to the gym." Kelly pat her stomach. "I need to work off all this food I've been eating—especially after all those desserts I ate yesterday.

I shook my head. "Well, I don't see an inch of fat on you, but we can go anyway."

"Awe!" She kissed me for the compliment.

"A centimeter of fat maybe, but not an inch," I teased.

She gasped, and playfully swatted me as she stormed on ahead of me to our room.

I laughed. "What? I was just kidding!"

"Not amused!" she said, not looking back.

I laughed harder. She was cute when she was angry. Well, she was _always_ cute, but _especially_ when she was angry.

I grinned, and ran to catch up with her.

~Kelly~

"So, what should we try first?" I asked my husband as we looked around the ship's gym. Having three children (sometimes four) to take care of, I didn't get a chance to get to the gym very often, so I didn't know what was the best to use.

"Well, you love to run. Why don't you try the treadmill first?" he suggested.

I nodded. "Good idea." We walked over to the treadmills, and I got on. He helped me find a good pace for me, then headed off to the weights.

As I ran, already breaking into a sweat as I ran (even though I had barely just started), I watched my husband lifting weights. He was wearing a black tank top and jean shorts that went to his mid thigh. On his feet were his new black sandals.

I licked my lips. He looked so sexy lifting weights.

He made it look like lifting weights came effortless to him. It was so incredibly sexy.

"Kelly, hey!"

I looked towards the sound of the voice and saw Sandy smiling and waving at me. She had just come into the gym with her husband.

I smiled and waved back. "Hey guys! You working off all the cruise food too?"

Sandy nodded. "Oh yeah! Though, _I'm_ the one who wanted to work out." Sandy nodded toward Greg. "He'd be perfectly fine with a pot belly." Sandy pat her husband's stomach for emphasis.

I laughed, and nodded towards the other treadmills. "Come over here and keep me company. If I have to sweat, so should you."

Sandy chuckled, and headed over to the treadmill. "What level are you on?"

I told her, and she set hers to the same. "Good enough," she said.

We grinned at each other.

As we ran together, Greg headed over to Matthew to spot him.

"Leave it to the men to head straight to something macho," Sandy said, nodding toward our husbands.

I rolled my eyes. "I know, right? I'd like to see them run. Now that takes actual effort. I bet they're only lifting fifteen pound weights and screwing their faces up to make it look like they're lifting more."

Sandy giggled. "Probably! That sounds like something my husband would do for sure."

I laughed too. "My husband can be lazy at times."

Sandy nodded toward Greg. "Yeah, well, mine is _all_ the time, so just be grateful that yours is only sometimes."

I smirked.

We continued to run for a bit in silence. As we did, I watched Matthew lifting weights again. Greg had added some more weights to Matthew's bar, and Matthew was sweating a little now, it looking a little less effortless to lift them, but all the more sexy as he proved that he could still lift them.

I licked my lips again. His hairline was even sweating a little. His muscles were flexing. I suddenly felt in the same mood I was in when I woke up.

"Hot, isn't it?" Sandy asked with a smirk.

I blushed as I realized she had caught me staring. "Yeah. I guess being macho is good for _something_."

She grinned, and nodded towards our husbands. "It's my turn now."

I looked to see that Matthew and Greg had switched places. Matthew was now Greg's spotter.

I sighed. "Lucky bitch," I said to Sandy; disappointed that I couldn't watch my husband lift weights anymore, but she could watch hers.

"She took a sip from her water Evian bottle. "Jealous," she quipped.

"Damn straight," I said.

She smirked.

~Matthew~

"All right, I think I'm done," Greg said after five minutes of lifting weights.

"Lifting weights?" I asked, helping him set his barbell back onto the holder.

He sat up and dabbed the sweat off his face and neck with his towel. He shook his head. "No, working out."

I laughed. "But you just got here!"

"Yeah, and I've already been working out five more minutes than I wanted to," he quipped.

I laughed, and we high-fived. "I hear ya!" I looked over to see that my wife had switched to the bicycles, and was pedaling quite fast. She had on black spandex shorts that went to her knee, and a hot pink and black sports bra. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

I watched as her breasts moved with her movements. She was breaking out into a sweat. She took a sip of her Evian water. I watched her throat bob as she swallowed. She licked her lips and screwed the cap back on, then put her hands back on the bike bars. She threw her head back, enjoying the air from the ceiling fan above her.

My eyes went back to her breasts. I moaned out loud. I hadn't meant to, but I couldn't help it. She was so incredibly sexy—especially when working out.

I got onto the bike in front of her, and began to pedal. As I imagined pedaling to catch up with her, I pedaled even faster.

Soon, her eyes fell upon mine, and neither of us broke eye contact as we continued to pedal. This lasted for a good five minutes before neither one of us could take it any longer.

Greg came up to me and nodded towards the steam room. "You two could go in there for a little privacy. Sandy and I will make sure no one else goes in there." He smirked.

I grinned at him. "Really?"

He nodded. "Sure! Sandy and I spent some time in there earlier. It's an amazing place to make out in." He nodded towards the steam room again. "Go. Have fun. Thank me later." He pat me on the back.

I grinned, and got off the bike. I pat his back in return. "Thanks, Buddy. I'll thank you later too."

He laughed. "I'm sure you will!" He gently pushed me towards the steam room.

Apparently, Sandy had told Kelly the same thing, for she was pushing Kelly toward the steam room as well. She and Greg must have conspired against Kelly and I as they watched us on our bikes, I figured.

Kelly and I looked at each other with smirks on our faces.

"Should we?" she asked.

My eyes fell to her breasts again. They rose and fell with her breath. I nodded. "Oh yeah!" I took her hand.

She grinned, squeezed my hand, and followed me into the steam room.

~Kelly~

"Don't you love how the steam room is around a corner so that no one can see in unless they come to use the steam room?" Matthew asked as he shut the door behind us. "The only thing is, I wish they had locks." He sat down beside me, then took off his sandals.

I took off my socks and sneakers, then turned him so that his back was facing towards me. I began to massage his back, and he moaned.

"They don't have locks because it's unsafe to have them. What if someone locked them then passed out and locked themselves in?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Someone could break a window."

"And get glass all over the person inside?" I shook my head. "I think not. Besides, it's easier just to not have locks."

"But then how can people make love in here?" he whined.

I smirked, and massaged deeper to get a knot out of his right shoulder. "They don't."

He moaned, then turned around and looked at me. "Maybe others don't, but it doesn't mean _we_ can't. Greg said he and Sandy would make sure no one else came in."

I smirked. "We don't know for sure that they'd be able to stop people from coming in. Some people just won't take no for an answer—especially when Greg and Sandy aren't exactly in authority to tell anyone they can't use the steam room."

He wrapped his arms around me, and gently pushed me so that I was lying on my back on the bottom steam room bench. "But that's the exciting part! Picture it. We're making love, feeling so good, wanting our climaxes so bad. We're almost there. Someone could walk in at any moment." He kissed and nipped at the side of my neck, all the while letting his hands slide underneath my sports bra to fondle my breasts. "Besides, there weren't many other people in the gym. It's still early. People are sleeping in, or making love like we should be doing."

I closed my eyes and moaned. "You don't make it easy to say no. You know that, don't you?"

He grinned at me. "I know."

"Baby, we can't," I said, though my heart wasn't really in it.

"Mm, sure we can." He pinned my hands above my head with one hand and tugged at my shorts with his other hand, all the while kissing down my neck all while the steam was surrounding us. I was getting hot in more ways than one.

I sighed. "You know I can't say no to you for long!" I took his face between my hands and kissed him good and hard.

He moaned into the kiss, and hungrily kissed me back for a moment. Then, he broke the kiss and licked his lips. "Now, let's get these off you." He pulled my shorts and underwear off. He kept my bra on, but pushed it up over my breasts.

He pulled off his tank top, then kissed and sucked at my breasts as he took his shorts and underwear off.

I smirked. My husband was a little multitasker.

I moaned as he entered me, and closed my eyes as he kissed all over my face, neck, and chest. At least he had chosen good things to multitask.

~Matthew~

As Kelly and I exited the steam room hand-in-hand with smiles on our faces, I knew that people must have known what we had just done. At least, Greg and Sandy would know. There were about ten other people in the gym by now. It was a miracle in itself that Greg and Sandy had been able to keep them all out of the steam room.

"So, did you guys have fun?" Sandy asked with a knowing grin on her face.

Kelly blushed and smiled. "Yes, we did. Thank you for keeping people out."

Sandy smiled. "It's okay. Only one person tried to head over there. Greg told them the steam room was temporarily closed because he had had an accident in there, and it was being cleaned."

Kelly laughed. "That's too funny."

"Way to go, Man! I just meant for you two to grope and fondle while you kiss. You guys actually went and had sex in there, didn't you?" Greg asked me quietly, nudging my ribs as he did so.

I grinned. "I don't kiss and tell."

He laughed, and we high-fived.

"Well, Greg and I are off to take showers, or rather a shower in the singular form. We're all sweaty now, though I'm sure not as sweaty as you two are." Sandy winked.

Kelly smirked, and squeezed my hand. "Yeah, we just took a shower this morning." She looked up at me. "So much for that!"

I grinned at her.

So, we all headed out and took the elevators to our rooms, Kelly and I bidding goodbye to Greg and Sandy once they left the elevator to go to their room.

When Kelly and I got back to our room, we took turns showering, so as not to tempt ourselves to do more and therefore not get clean at all.

After we had showered, dried, and dressed, we headed up to check out the ship's stores.

"I'm starting to feel a little sick. I don't like all this moving around," Kelly said as the ship jerked and she stumbled into my arms.

I rubbed her back. "Want some Dramamine? I'm sure one of the stores has it."

She nodded, her hand on my chest. "That might be a good idea."

So, we headed into a store that looked like it might have it. Thankfully, they did. We looked around the store, then bought the Dramamine when we were ready to leave. I bought her a new bottle of water to take the pills with, then, after she took the pills, we headed to look at the other stores.

"Aren't you feeling even the least bit nauseous?" she asked me.

I shook my head, and led her into the next store, my hand over her back. "No. I guess I got all my sickness out in Mexico." I grinned. "Thank God _that's_ over!"

She rested her head on my shoulder. "I just hope it's not _my_ turn."

I rubbed her back in response.

We looked at the rest of the shops. By the time we finished, Kelly wasn't feeling too well at all, so I took her back to the room.

I took off her sandals for her, and got her into bed. Then, as she had done for me, I got a wet cloth, and wiped her face and neck to cool her off.

She closed her eyes. "Mm. Thank you, Honey."

I set the cloth aside, then took off my sandals, and climbed into bed with her.

I held her in my arms and stroked her hair until she fell asleep. I knew that lying down and sleeping was probably the best thing for her right now. That way, she'd be free from all the rocking of the ship.

I lay with her for ten minutes or so, but I wasn't tired. So, I kissed her forehead, then, carefully so as not to wake her, climbed out of bed.

I put on my sandals, then headed out of the room. I'd go get a drink or something and let her sleep in peace for a few hours I figured. Hopefully her stomach would feel better by lunch.

~Kelly~

I woke up, and looked at the clock. It was One o'clock. Well, at least my stomach felt better. I hoped I would be able to get some lunch down.

I looked beside me, expecting to see my husband sleeping, but instead saw an empty space on the bed. "Matthew? Darling?" I climbed out of bed, stumbling a bit as the darn ship moved again. I looked all around the room and saw that he was nowhere to be found.

I sighed. "Well, _that's_ nice, leaving me when I'm sick. I didn't leave _him_ when _he_ was sick!" I grumbled to myself.

I was suddenly hot and miserable. I needed some lunch and a swim.

I changed into my swimsuit and cover up, then slipped on some flip-flops. Next, I grabbed a towel, and headed for the pool. I needed to cool off in more ways than one.

When I arrived at the pool, I got a soda, and a hot dog and fries. I had a quick lunch, still angry that my husband was nowhere to be found.

After lunch, I found a lounge chair and dropped off my things.

I pulled off my coverup and left it on the chair with my flip flops. Matthew had already put sun screen on me earlier after we had showered the second time, so I was all set.

I headed towards the pool, and instantly heard someone call my name.

For a split second, my heart sped up with excitement, thinking it was my husband. Then, I realized the voice belonged to Chad.

"Kelly, over here!" he said, motioning me over to him with his hand.

I smiled. At least _someone_ was happy to be in my company.

I headed over to him. "Hey, what's up, Chad?"

"Hey. Not much." He nodded towards the pool. "My friends and I are playing a game of Horse and Rider and I need a rider! Wanna play?"

"It depends on what Horse and Rider is," I said, sitting on the deck and slowly pushing myself into the pool.

"It's where you sit on my shoulders and try to push those girls off their teammates' shoulders." He nodded towards two girls who were standing with two guys that I assumed were his friends. "It's kind of like water wrestling. The last team standing wins."

I hesitated for a moment. "I don't know. I'm getting too old for those kind of things." I nodded at the girls. "The've got to be in their mid twenties, and I'm in my early forties!" I said. "They're half my age!"

The girls giggled.

"I'm thirty-two, but thanks for the compliment! I'm Ashley, by the way," the short-haired blonde girl said to me. She extended her hand to me, and we shook hands. "You can do it. We go easy on each other." She winked.

The long-haired brunette shook my hand. "And I'm thirty-six. Thank you for just making my day! I would have guessed you were thirty."

I blushed. "Thanks! Though, you don't have to say that just because I thought _you_ were younger."

She shook her head. "I'm not! Seriously, I didn't think you were any older than thirty."

I smiled. "Well, that makes _me_ feel good! Thank you."

She smiled too. "I'm Emily, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Kelly, as you probably already heard when Chad called me over," I said with a grin.

They nodded and smiled.

"And these are my friends, Galen and Tyler," Chad said, nodding to the two guys, who were Ashley's and Emily's partners. "We met these girls on the cruise, and they're awesome!" Chad said, nodding to the girls.

I nodded. "Good deal."

"So, let's get started with the game, shall we?" Tyler asked.

I clapped. "Let's go!" What the heck? I thought. I was up for a good game. After all, I was here to have fun.

So, I climbed on top of Chad's shoulders, which was a little difficult, but not too hard since he sank down low enough for me to slide on. I then held on tight, for I didn't want to fall and hit my head again, Heaven forbid. Then, we began the game. I just hoped I didn't fall and hit my head again. The thought suddenly hit me that I still could. Lord help me.

~Matthew~

I had gotten a drink and just relaxed on the deck for a bit, watching the swimmers and enjoying the warm weather. Then, I headed back to the room to see if Kelly was up and hungry yet.

She was still sleeping, and I didn't want to wake her. However, I was starving, so I went up and got a burger, fries, and soda by the pool. I ate my lunch, figuring that, if Kelly got hungry later, I'd just have an ice cream or something while she had her lunch.

After that, I headed to the lobby downstairs, and called Naama to see how Aven was doing.

After talking to Aven and telling her how much I missed her and would see her soon, I said goodbye to her. Then, I wrapped up the conversation with Naama, and hung up. I was just going to head up and check on Kelly when I ran into Annalisse.

"Hey you! What's up?" Annalisse asked me.

"Not much. I just called my daughter to see how she was doing. I miss her! She'll be three in three months. It's nice to actually be able to have a conversation with her now." I smiled.

Annalisse smiled too. "Aw. Yours and Kelly's?"

I shook my head. "No, Aven is from a previous marriage of mine. I'm gonna call mine and Kelly's daughter Lily tonight."

"Sweet! So, where's the beautiful wife?" Annalisse asked me.

"She wasn't feeling well because of the stabilizers, so she took a nap. I was just going to go check on her now," I explained.

"Aw. I hope she's feeling better," Annalisse said with sincere concern.

"Wanna come with me to check on her?" I asked. I figured that maybe Kelly would change her mind about Annalisse if she saw Annalisse's concern for her.

"Sure!" Annalisse said.

So, we headed into the elevators and up to mine and Kelly's floor.

"How was your motorcycling?" I asked as we headed up to the room.

Annalisse grinned. "It was rad! Oh my gosh, you gotta try it sometime! Mexico is a really beautiful city. How was your shopping and eating?"

"It was good until I got sick," I said

"Why'd you get sick?" Annalisse asked.

I looked away; embarrassed. "I drank the water."

Annalisse laughed. "You drank the water? I warned you not to."

I looked at her. "I know, and so did Kelly. I thought I could handle it. Boy was I wrong!"

"Poor Baby," Annalisse said.

We got to the room, and I opened the door only to find that my wife wasn't in the room.

"Hm. That's odd. I wonder if she went looking for me," I said. It was then that I noticed her clothes on the floor. Her swimsuit was missing. "She must be by the pool," I stated.

Annalisse shrugged. "She must be feeling better. Let's go find her!"

I nodded my agreement, then left the room with her, letting the door click shut behind us.

When we got to the pool, I stopped short. There Kelly was on top of that surfer punk Chad's shoulders. She was laughing and having a good time, playing Horse and Rider with Chad and some friends. It was her and Chad against one other team.

It would have been hot seeing Kelly and another girl duke it out had it not been for her being on Chad's shoulders. That just ruined it all.

Kelly and a brunette girl struggled, but, finally, Kelly pushed the brunette girl into the pool.

"Yah, Baby! We won!" Chad said to Kelly.

Kelly put her hands in the air and cheered.

Chad set her down, and their competition crowded around them to pat them on the back and congratulate them.

I cleared my throat loudly, and Kelly and her new friends all looked up at me.

"I thought you were sick," I said to Kelly.

She got out of the water. "I was, but that didn't seem to bother you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I asked her.

"Well, you left me instead of staying back with me," she stated.

"You were sleeping, and I wasn't tired! What was I supposed to do? I'm not a reader, and don't have a book anyway, so what would have been the point in staying?" I asked.

"Well, you could have stayed to watch over me. Maybe make sure I didn't wake up sick and need to you hold my hair while I threw up, or even just to be with me. What if I had fallen again and hit my head?" she asked. "It was uncaring to leave—especially after I stayed with you when _you_ were sick."

I threw my hands in the air. I could hardly believe her! "I told you you didn't have to stay! You're the one who chose to!"

"That's not the point! I stayed anyway. You didn't. Instead, you chose to be with _her_." She nodded towards Annalisse, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, well, you must not have been all _that_ sick! I came down to check on you, and instead I find you down here on Pretty boy's shoulders!" I snapped.

"Only after I woke to see that you were nowhere to be found. I came down to swim, and he was here and needed a teammate," Kelly said.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I _bet_ he did!"

She ignored that comment. "I had nothing else to do for fun since you were off with Annalisse."

"I had a drink on my own, Kel. Then I called Aven, and after that is when I bumped into Annalisse. She asked about you, and came up with me to check on you," I explained. "She was concerned about you."

Annalisse nodded. "He told me you were sick, and I felt bad. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Kelly's face softened just a bit. "Thank you. I feel better now. The stabilizers were just making me a little nauseous. A nap and some Dramamine seemed to help. Plus, the ship's not shaking as much as it was."

I was surprised she didn't accuse Annalisse of lying.

Annalisse smiled at her. "I'm glad."

"I'm sorry, Kel. I guess I overreacted about Chad. Also, I shouldn't have left you. You're right, and I'm sorry," I said, placing an arm around her.

She smiled too. "And I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions with you and Annalisse. Also, it's all right that you left. I slept the whole time anyway. I just like to feel loved and cared about. When you were gone when I woke up—especially after I had stayed with you when _you_ were sick—I felt like you didn't care."

I pulled her closer, and ran my fingers through her hair. "Wanna go back to the room? I wanna show you how much I care."

She blushed, but nodded and grinned. "I'd like that."

"See you at dinner—maybe," Annalisse said to us with a wave, a smile, and a knowing wink.

Kelly and I grinned and waved back. "See you at dinner," we echoed.

As we headed back to the room, our arms around each other, I heard Annalisse ask Chad and the others if she could join in the next game.

"Hop on!" Chad said to her.

"Uh, uh! _You_ hop on to _me_!" Annalisse said.

I chuckled to myself, and shook my head. Only Annalisse...

~Kelly~

I felt kind of silly, getting upset over Matthew not being there when I woke up. I was glad he understood why. I guess I had flipped even more when I saw him with Annalisse. Somehow, it always came down to her. But, when she said she had just wanted to check on me, I felt my opinion of her change slightly. I'd like to think I can read people pretty well, and I could tell that she was sincere, and not just saying that to get on Matthew's good side. Also, it made me feel kind of good that Matthew was jealous of Chad. It showed me that he was more concerned about me than Annalisse.

After occupying ourselves in the bedroom for a while, we showered. Of course we joked about it being the first time we've ever taken three showers in one day. Not to sound cheesy, but we were so irresistible to each other that we couldn't help it. It made me happy knowing that our sex life and love for each other was healthy.

Anyway, after we dressed, we had a nice dinner. After that, we went swimming again, then redressed, and watched a show in the show room. The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with Greg and Sandy at the piano bar and the casino. Then, the four of us did a little dancing for just a bit until midnight hit. Then, we all enjoyed a midnight snack at the midnight buffet.

After our snack, Matthew and I were exhausted, so we said our goodnights to Sandy and Greg, then went back to our room and got ready for bed.

Shortly after, we fell asleep in our bed, our arms wrapped around the other.

It had turned out to be a good night after all.

Tomorrow would be the Cayman Islands. I was looking forward to it. A beach day was just what Matthew and I needed. I could hardly wait!


	11. Chapter 11

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 11: Perfect Day**_

~Kelly~

I woke up feeling refreshed. I sat up and stretched, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight poring through the window.

I had a feeling today would be a good day. We were finally in the Cayman Islands. I could hardly wait to get to the beach and soak up some vitamin D!

"Good morning, everyone, and welcome to The Grand Cayman Islands! I'm sure you all already have you excursions lined up, but, if you don't yet, it's not too late to sign up! Head down to the front desk and see what's available, but do it soon! Spots are filling up fast."

The captain's voices droned on, but I blocked him out as I saw my husband start to wake.

"I keep forgetting to look for a way to disconnect the intercom," he grumbled, taking a pillow and putting it over his face.

I grinned, and took the pillow away from him. I hovered my face over his. "I don't think we have the controls—only the captain does." I pointed above us. "We have the speaker on the ceiling, and that's about it."

"Well, he should at least wait to make his announcements until a little bit later. It's not exactly the nicest thing to wake up to," he grumbled.

I leaned down and kissed him sweetly on the lips. "Better?" I asked with a smile.

He licked his lips. "Mm, I'm not sure yet. Better try again so I can be sure."

He bit my bottom lip and grinned, then kissed him again.

He moaned, his hands roaming up the back of my nightgown. Of course, it didn't take long after that for our kissing to turn into more. Not that I was complaining!

It was almost nine o'clock by the time we had made love, showered, and gotten ready for the day. We barely had time to have breakfast before our transportation to the beach arrived. We were going with a group, since it was technically an excursion we were going on. However, once we got to the beach, we would split from our group until it was time to be picked up again.

Anyway, breakfast was great, and we barely made the shuttle to the beach, but we did.

It was kind of funny, for the seats were filled up and I had to sit up front with the driver while Matthew sat in the back with the rest of the group. It was funny because, in the Cayman Islands, the driver drives on the right side, so I was sitting in the passenger side on the left. It felt weird to be sitting there and not be driving.

Anyway, my husband being the comedian he is, has the rest of the group laughing with his jokes. Some even recognized him, and had questions about him and the show. He mentioned me, but, apparently, they were bigger fans of him than they were of me, for they talked more with him. True, the majority of the people talking to him were women, and I _was_ in the front while he was in the back, so I didn't let it hurt my feelings too much.

However, when we arrived at the beach and piled out of the shuttle, a good looking guy from our group, who looked to be my age, came up to me with a smile as nice-looking as him. "You're even more beautiful in person. I love your work. I watch _Gossip Girl_ just to see you."

I smiled, my hand to my heart. "Aw! That's so nice of you to say! Thank you very much!"

He grinned.

"And here I thought he watched it with me so that we could spend time together," a pretty lady, who looked to be maybe slightly older than me said, coming up to him and latching her arm with his.

He blushed. "That too, Dear!"

She smirked. "Yeah, right!" She then extended her hand to me. "You do an amazing job as Lily. It's so great to meet you. I'm Amanda, and this is my husband Bob." She glared at her husband.

He blushed some more.

I laughed. "Nice to met you both. Don't go too hard on him," I said with a wink.

Amanda smiled. "That's all right. He can buy me something nice to make up for it."

I laughed again.

They walked off then, and I grabbed onto my husband's arm.

"Well, we have three hours before we have to leave. Are you ready to enjoy the beach?" Matthew asked me.

"Let's get this party started!" I said with a smile.

He smiled too, and kissed me. Then, we headed hand-in-hand to find a nice spot on the beach.

~Matthew~

We pushed our lounge chairs together so that they were side-by-side, then Kelly took off her coverup, revealing a red bikini beneath it.

I examined her body from head to toe, and whistled. "_Woah_," I said in amazement. Her forty-three years had nothing on her. She had the body of a goddess!

She smiled at the expression on my face. "I take it you like it?"

I grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her body close to mine. "Oh, I love it!" I touched the tie in the middle of her bikini top. "Does this come undone if I undo it?"

She smiled. "It might. But, you're not going to find out until later. Right now, we have to put our sunblock on. Then, I want to swim!"

I sighed. "You're going to be the death of me one of these days. You know that, don't you?"

She smiled, then took the hem of my black teeshirt and pulled my shirt up.

I lifted my arms, allowing her to pull it off me.

"Black is too hot of a color to wear anyway," she said as she placed my shirt on my lounge chair. She then sat down on _her_ lounge chair, and took out the sunblock.

"Want me to put your sunblock on?" I asked my wife.

She smiled at me. "Well, if there's no hot lifeguard to do it."

"Watch it!" I teased.

She turned her back to me, and pushed her hair over her right shoulder. Then, she smiled at me over her left shoulder. "Please?"

I kissed her. "Of course."

"Thank you, Baby," she said, still smiling as she looked straight ahead again.

I opened the bottle, and got a generous amount of sunblock on my hands. Then, I rubbed it into her back in gentle, circular motions, making sure to cover every inch of her back, neck, and shoulders.

She turned around, and I applied it to her arms, legs, and feet, even though she didn't need me to do those.

"Mm, you should be a masseuse!" she said when I got to her feet. "Then again, I'd be jealous of you rubbing up on other women. You could become a masseuse just to massage me."

I laughed. "But, if you are the only one I'd be massaging, and you already love what I do, then why would I need to become a professional?"

She smirked. "You can always improve your craft."

"Well, maybe I'm just not massaging the right areas," I said, trying my best to make my tone seductive.

It seemed to work, for she shivered despite the ninety degree heat.

"My turn!" she said, trying to take the sun block from me.

"Wait!" I held the sunblock out of her reach. "I have to get your nose first." I took out a little bit more sunblock, then reached over and rubbed it on her nose. "Even your nose is beautiful," I told her.

She smiled, her long lashes batting at me. "I think I know what we'll be doing when getting back to the ship."

I licked my lips. "Why wait until then?"

She gave me a look as if I were crazy. "Um, maybe because we're in public?"

I moved to sit down next to her on her lounge chair, despite the fact that our lounge chairs were together. I gently ran my hand over her thigh. "There are ways of getting by that, you know."

"Yeah, right," she said as if not believing me.

"There are! Especially with our celebrity statuses. Come on. Haven't you ever dreamed of us making love on the beach?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Actually, I did have a dream recently of us making love on one of those beds." She pointed over to a few yards down the beach where there were three white beds, each one with white curtains.

"Well, then we must!" I said.

She took my hand in hers, and gave me the "your crazy" look again. "How do you suggest we do that when the beach is filled with people who could easily see us?"

"The beds are off in a more private area of the beach. It's away from everything else. Besides, there are curtains," I tried. Now that she had put the idea in my head, I had to persuade her to do it. I had to have her there.

She smirked. "Go sit with your back facing me. I need to get your sunblock on."

I rolled my eyes. That was her way of saying no—end of discussion.

I closed my eyes as I felt her sunblock-covered hands run over my back. I moaned. "Mm, talk about _me_ being a masseuse! You should be too. Only for me."

"What? You don't want my hands over other good-looking guys' bodies?" she teased. She moved her hands to my shoulders, massaging the sunblock deep into them.

"Not if they value their faces," I teased back.

She kissed my neck in response, then covered that with sunblock as well. "Don't worry. You're the only man I have any desire to touch."

"I better be!" I said. Then, I thought about what she said. I turned my head to her and smiled. "What about touching other _women_? Do you have any desire for _that_?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "What is it with men thinking two women together is hot?" She turned me around, then covered my chest with the sunblock.

I shrugged. "I don't know. It just is. Don't you find it hot when two men are together?"

She thought about it for a moment as she covered my arms with the sunblock. "I guess so. But I don't obsess over it or fantasize about it twenty-four seven."

"I don't fantasize about it twenty-four seven! I sleep for eight of those hours. Then again, I do dream about it sometimes," I joked.

She playfully swatted my arm, then handed me the bottle. "Just for that, you can put the rest of this on yourself!"

"Aw, come on, Kel! I'll behave. I promise." I crossed my finger over my heart.

She gave me a look as if she were contemplating on whether to believe me or not. Then, she sighed. "Fine! But you better!"

I nodded. "I will! A promise is a promise."

So, she massaged the sunblock into my legs and feet.

"Mm, yes. We still have to have our massage day, you know," I reminded her.

She rubbed my nose with sunblock, then recapped the sunblock bottle, having finished applying it to me. "We will. I promise." She plopped the bottle back into her beach bag, then kissed my cheek and took my hand in hers. She nodded toward the water. "Come on! Let's go swim."

I licked my lips, still admiring her body as I let her lead me into the water.

~Kelly~

"This water is so beautiful! It's so blue, and crystal clear. I love it!" I said, once we were in the water to our shoulders.

"That's because the sand is white, unlike the beaches in New Jersey," Matthew said.

I nodded. "That's probably it."

"Come here." He pulled me close, then kissed me good and hard.

I smiled when he finally broke the kiss after about a minute. "What was _that_ for? Not that I'm complaining."

"That suit is just making me so _hot_," he said, his hands sliding slowly down my sides. He tugged at my bikini bottoms.

I grinned, and moved his hands away. "That's _one_ downside to crystal clear water. People can see below. At least with the brown water, no one could see what we're doing underneath."

"Tell me about it," he grumbled. I knew he was grumpy. He always got grumpy when he didn't get to have me. Oh well. I'd make sure we made up for lost time once we were back to the ship. That was for sure.

I ran my hands up and down his back. He had been working out every day since a month before our wedding, well before we got on the cruise anyway. It had showed, for his body had lost the fat, and his muscles were formed a lot better. "I bet you I can swim faster than you."

He smirked. "What? Nice try, Honey, but no. I'm stronger, and therefor, I don't get tired as easy."

I gasped, and gently pushed him. "That is the most sexist thing I ever heard you say."

He laughed. "I'm just stating the truth!"

I nodded. "All right. If you think you're so much better than me, then put your money where your mouth is."

He raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

I thought about it for a moment, tapping my finger to my lips as I did so. "Well, if _you_ win, I'll agree to make love to you on one of those beach beds."

He smiled. "I like that. Not that you will, but if _you_ win?"

I grinned. "_When_ I win, I get to burry you in the sand and take a picture of it to show my mom and the cast."

He laughed. "All right, fine. It does't matter anyway because you're not going to win."

I smirked. "We'll see. All right. We'll race from here to that buoy over there." I pointed to a red buoy that was bobbing in the water five feet away.

He nodded. "You're on!"

We both faced the buoy, and prepared to swim.

"On the count of three." I said.

Matthew nodded. "Count it down!"

"All right!" I said, my eye on the buoy. "One. Two. Three!"

He took off as soon as I said, "Three."

"Hey!" I protested, swimming after him. "You cheated!"

He laughed. "No, I didn't! You said on the count of three, and I took off on three!"

I rolled my eyes, and swam harder. "You were supposed to take off _after_ three!"

"Sorry!" he said, not sounding very sorry at all. "Next time try to be more specific!"

I growled in annoyance, and hurried to catch up with him.

Once I finally caught up to him, I took my hand, placed it on top of his head, and dunked him underneath the water.

He coughed and sputtered when I let him back up. "Now who's cheating?" he asked.

I smirked. "So you admit, you cheated!" I said, swimming past him.

It was he who growled this time as he swam after me. He pushed me hard out of the way, and headed to the buoy. "I didn't admit anything!"

I gasped, and swam over to him. I climbed on top of his back, causing him to sink down a little.

"Get off!" he said with a laugh.

I laughed too. "Since when? You usually love it when I'm on top of you."

"_Yeah_, when you're on the other side of me!" he said through his laughter.

We were both trying to dunk each other, all the while laughing hysterically as we made our way to the buoy.

When we finally closed in on the buoy, we both lunged for it, practically flying in the air as we did so. When we landed, we looked to see who had gotten closer to the buoy, and therefore, won the race.

Both our hands were on the buoy, so there was no way of knowing for sure. It figured. We were so wrapped up in sabotaging the other that we had not even realized who had gotten there first.

"Who got there first?" Matthew called out to the amused people who were watching us.

Unfortunately, even _they_ weren't much help, for their answers were a mix, it being pretty much equal.

"Well, it was hardly fair anyway," I said with a sigh. I glared at my husband. "No thanks to _you_."

He laughed, and held his hands up in defense. "Hey, you didn't specify if it was on or after three!"

"Then you should have asked!" I crossed my arms over my chest. "Besides, I have a feeling you knew darned well I meant _after_ three."

He shrugged, then pulled me close. "Well, then I guess the only thing we can do is say we _both_ won."

"Or lost," I said.

He shook his head. "If you don't want to bury me, fine. But we _are_ going to make love in one of those beds today. You mark my word."

I smirked at him. "Oh, don't worry. I want to bury you all right."

He shot me a look, and I giggled.

~Matthew~

"We're going to be here all day, you know," I said as I helped Kelly build a hole with a little plastic shovel. We had bought two pails and two shovels just so she could dig a hole to burry me in the sand. The pails had come with the shovels, so we were stuck with them.

She grinned. "It's not like you're all that tall."

"Very funny," I said, unamused. "Let's just make the hole lengthwise. I'll lie down in the hole instead of standing.

She nodded. "All right."

"So, we worked for about an hour until we finally had a hole long enough for me to lie down in. We had made it half a foot deep and a foot wide so that she could burry me easily enough.

I slowly lay down in the hole, and she buried me.

"Hurry up and take the picture! I feel like I'm in a coffin," I said. It was pretty tight quarters.

She smirked, and grabbed her digital camera from her beach bag. "Are you feeling a little claustrophobic?"

"Yes!" I said. "Anyone would, being stuck in _this_!"

"Poor Baby," she said, not sounding very sympathetic at all. She took two pictures, then set her camera back in her bag. After that, she grabbed one of the pails and headed out to the ocean.

"Where are you going?" I called after her.

"I'll be right back!" she said.

I waited, wondering what on earth she could be doing.

Finally, after what seemed like forever but was in reality only about thirty seconds, she came back to me with a full pail of water.

"What's that for?" I asked her.

She grinned. "Cheating." She then dumped the bucket of water over my head before I even knew what hit me.

I gasped, and she giggled.

She dropped the pail, and quickly grabbed her camera from her bag again. She snapped two pictures.

"You're going to pay for that!" I told her.

She put her camera back in her bag and giggled. "How when you're buried in the sand?"

"Kel, please!" I said. I felt wet, gross, and claustrophobic, and just wanted to get out of there.

She must have seen that on my face, for she sank down to her knees and unburied me. "I'm sorry, Baby. I couldn't resist."

"You cheated too, you know," I reminded her.

"Only after _you_ did, which gives me full right to cheat," she insisted.

I was having none of it. I picked her up and carried her over my shoulder.

"Matthew, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Payback's a bitch!" I said.

"Matthew, Let me down!" she screamed, trying to kick her way free. She laughed, so I knew she wasn't seriously freaking out.

I brought her into the water, and gently dropped her into the water. I made it shallow enough water where she wouldn't have to worry about falling under, but deep enough so that her fall wouldn't hurt. Of course, I had lowered her a bit first. I didn't drop her from her spot over my shoulders!

She sat up, and shook the water from her hair. "You're mean," she said.

I laughed. "Oh, and you're not?"

"I was just trying to wash the sand off you," she said, trying to sound innocent.

"Yeah, right!" I held my hand out to her.

She took it, but pulled me down next to her.

I gasped.

"Now you're fully washed off," she teased with a grin.

I was going to protest, but she cut me off with a sweet kiss to my lips, her hands placed over my cheeks.

I sighed into the kiss, and kissed her back. She could do anything she wanted to me if she kept kissing me like that!

~Kelly~

We kissed a little bit more, then swam for ten minutes or so. Then, I was starting to get hungry. "We better eat before it's time to go," I said.

Matthew nodded. "Sounds good to me! Let's go." He took my hand in his, and we headed to the beach's bar and restaurant.

We got seated right away at least. It was really nice, because we got an outdoor table, and therefore had a perfect view of the ocean while we ate.

The waiter told us what they had to drink. I ordered a piña colada, and Matthew ordered a Sex on the Beach.

When the waiter had left to get our drinks, I raised my eyebrow at Matthew and smirked. "Sex on the Beach? Since when do you drink that?"

He took my hand in his from across the table. "Because I'm about to have exactly that before we leave."

My eyes darkened. "You better not, because _I_ certainly am not."

"The beach beds aren't even being used." He looked at his watch. "We still have an hour and a half left. We have plenty of time to use them."

I sighed. "We're going to have even less time than that once we eat."

He grinned. "That's okay. I work fast."

I smirked. "You'll be working even faster because you'll be doing it yourself."

He winced. "Ouch!"

We looked over our menus, then ordered when the waiter showed up with our drinks.

While we waited for our food, we talked about what we wanted to do in Jamaica. We had signed up to swim with the dolphins, and to do a jungle tour. Also, we were going to go to the falls in Dunn's River. It was going to be fun!

Our food came, and we had a nice lunch together. It was a romantic setting, eating on the beach with the waves crashing only a few yards away from us. It made me really happy to be here, married to Matthew.

I took his hand in mine from across the table, and squeezed it.

He smiled at me, and squeezed my hand in return.

He was everything I ever dreamed of and more. I was so lucky to have him!

We ordered dessert, then, after dessert, which was incredibly good (we had ordered creme brulee), we paid and tipped our waiter, and headed back to the beach.

We lay on our beach towels for a while, enjoying the warm sun on our skin.

I looked at my watch after about fifteen minutes of lying there. We had a half hour left before we had to leave. If we were going to make love on the beach beds, now was the time to do it.

I glanced over at the beds. They were still empty. I supposed it wouldn't be _that_ hard to make love on one without people seeing us.

I looked over at Matthew, who seemed to be staring off into the sky. He was listening to his ipod. His dark glasses prevented me from seeing his eyes.

I got up off my chair, and took his hand.

He looked over at me and smiled. He took out his ear buds. "What's up?"

"It's my turn to fulfill your part of the bargain. You let me bury you in the sand and take a picture, so..."

He took his glasses off, and looked me in the eyes. "Really?" His whole face lit up.

I sighed. "Let's just go before I change my mind."

He grinned, and practically jumped off his lounge chair. He took my hand, and practically dragged me to toward the beach beds.

As we headed to the beach beds, my heart was pounding in my chest. I was confident on the outside, but, on the inside, I wasn't so confident.

_Will we really be able to pull this off?_ I wondered to myself. I guessed I was about to find out!

~Matthew~

We got onto the bed. I was so turned on, you have no idea. "Do you want the curtains down or up?" I asked my wife with a grin.

Kelly smiled. "I'd love to have them open, but, if we're going to do this in a public place, I think we better have the curtains down."

"We can keep them up. Nobody's watching," I said. I gently lay her down on her back as I kissed her. My hand went to the front tie of her bikini top.

She placed her hand over my hand to stop me from doing so. "We have to put the curtains down."

I sighed. "All right. If it gets you to do this with me."

I was just about to let the curtains down, when another couple came over-hand-in-hand, and lay down together on the bed next to ours. We had taken the one in the middle, and now they were lying on the one to our left.

They lay on their backs and held hands, looking up at the sky.

I instantly felt my heart sink. There went our plan, just like that!

Then, as if that weren't bad enough, a little boy, who looked to be only five, came running over to the bed on our right. He climbed up on it. "Hey, Mommy! Shelly! Come over here and see this!"

A little girl, who looked to be the same age as him, came running over. "Cool!" she said, climbing up onto the bed as well.

A lady rushed over, half our of breath. "Marcus, Shelley, tell Mommy before you two run off next time!"

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I just wanted to see the bed. They have a bed on the beach! Isn't that funny?" Marcus replied.

"Funny? I find it more of a relief!" She lay down on the bed on her back, and her kids giggled, and cuddled up next to her.

Kelly smiled at me apologetically. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be! Let's go do a little more swimming before it's time to go." She got off the bed, and extended her hand to me.

I sighed, but took her hand and got off the bed, much to my dismay. Then, I let her lead me back over to the water.

The rest of our time at the beach wasn't so bad. We swam for a bit, and even tried body boarding. We were laughing so hard. It was fun!

Then, we acted like little kids and built sandcastles. I tried to make ours out to look like mine and Kelly's house, but a sculptor I was not.

Kelly had smiled, then kissed me. "It's beautiful anyway because you made it."

I kissed her in return.

When it was time to go, we gathered up our things, and headed back to the shuttle bus.

As we headed towards the shuttle bus, I looked longingly toward the beach beds. _One day_, I thought to myself. _One day we'll make love on one of those_. It was a plan I intended on keeping.


	12. Chapter 12

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 12: Apologize**_

~Matthew~

It was our last day in some ways since it was our last stop before heading for home. The cruise had gone by so fast! Five days of the cruise had already past. It was scary how time flew. It seemed like we were just getting ready to leave for the cruise, and now it would be over in two days.

"What'cha thinkin' about?" Kelly asked, coming up to me, and turning me so that I was facing her. She kissed me.

I smiled, and placed my hands around her waist. "I'm just thinking about how fast this cruise is going. This is our last stop, then we have one day at sea before we're home. I'll be glad to see our kids, but I'll miss being on the cruise."

She kissed me again, this time a little more sweet than passionate. Then, she brushed some hair out of my face. "Don't worry. It won't be our last cruise." She kissed my lips again. "I promise."

I grinned, and rested my forehead against hers. "Good!"

I loved her so much. I hoped to have many more vacations with her as my wife. She meant the world to me, and I didn't wanted to enjoy every minute of being married to her! I knew I would though. I kissed her, then rested my head against hers.

~Kelly~

"Welcome, everyone, to the Dolphin Swim and Dunn's River Falls excursion! I will be your tour guide as I drive you to your destinations. First up, I will be driving you in an air-conditioned bus to the scenic Northern Coast of Jamaica to Dunn's River Falls. Once we get there, you will be escorted by another guide up the six-hundred-foot falls, and be able to enjoy the natural beauty of them! After that, I will transport you all to Dolphin Cove, where you will be given the opportunity to swim with the dolphins! Who's ready for that, huh?"

The rest of the group and I clapped and cheered. Matthew just smiled.

Our tour guide motioned with his hand for us to follow him, so we did.

He led us to our bus, and we piled in. I sat by the window, and Matthew took his place beside me.

He took my hand in his, and smiled at me. "It sounds like it's going to be quite an experience today. It should be fun."

I smiled, and rested my head against his shoulder. "I know it will be because I'm with you."

We kissed, then I rested my head on his shoulder again as I thought about the night before.

After we had gotten back from the Cayman Islands, we made up for what we hadn't been able to do on the beach beds. We spent a couple hours doing so, only resting for a few minutes in-between. It wasn't as special as it would have been on the beach beds, but it was still pretty incredible. Honestly, I had been a little disappointed that it didn't work out to make love on the beach beds. However, on the other hand, it was kind of a relief. I think I might have been too nervous that we'd get caught to enjoy it much. Well, I would have enjoyed it of course. But I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it as much as I do when there's no chance of anyone walking in on us.

After we made love, we showered together, then dressed for dinner. We had had dinner and dessert, then changed into our swim suits and gone swimming and hot tubbing for about an hour and a half. After that, we headed back to the room, changed for bed, and ended up finding a good movie on the television, which was a miracle in its own since the television only has two channels.

After the movie, we kissed until we had gotten tired, and fell asleep in each other's arms.

The bus took off, shaking me from my thoughts.

I smiled. Now that it was another day and we were in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, I had a really good feeling that today was going to be just as magical.

I kissed my husband's cheek, then turned to look out the window at the beautiful scenery as the tour guide talked about the area.

~Matthew~

I couldn't get over what a beautiful place Jamaica was. I had been to lots of other countries and cities before in my life, but I had to say, Ocho Rios, Jamaica was one of the prettiest. And I hadn't even gotten off the bus yet!

It was a really nice scenic ride through the city. The tour guide was very informative. It was interesting to hear all the facts about the places we were passing by.

We finally arrived at Dunn's River Falls. It had been a two-hour drive, but I was almost sad we were there already.

We piled off the bus, and were told to meet back at the bus in an hour and a half.

"So, are you ready for the falls?" I asked my wife as I squeezed her hand in mine.

She smiled at me. "As soon as I ditch my shorts and shirt."

"Mm, forget the falls, let's find a private place to—"

She cut me off with a finger to my lips and a smirk. "Down, boy. I meant down to my swimsuit."

I wrapped my arms around her waist. "I can work with that."

She grinned, and we kissed.

"Welcome to Jamaica! I will be your tour guide for the remainder of your time here at Dunn's River Falls. The bathrooms and lockers can be found right over here. If you all would like to change, place your things in the locker, or even just go to the bathroom, you can do so at this time. We ask that you wear non slip shoes, and rid yourself of all your jewelry. We just wouldn't want you to slip and fall, or lose anything of value to you. Once something is lost in the falls, sadly, it is lost for good. If you do not have non-slip shoes, they are available for purchase int he gift shop, which is right over there." The guide pointed a few feet away to the gift shop. "I ask that you all meet me back here in ten minutes, then we can head right on over to the falls!"

"I have to go to the bathroom, and ditch my shirt," I said to Kelly.

She nodded, and placed her hand over my arm. "I do too. I'll meet you back here in fifteen." She kissed me, then was off to the bathroom.

I sighed. I missed her already, as corny as that sounded. I used to think people were just being stupid when they said they missed their significant other, whom they'd only been gone an hour from. Now, here I was, missing my wife when she had only been gone a second. I had never felt about anyone the way I felt about Kelly though—not even for my first wife, as awful as that sounded.

I headed to the bathroom, shaking my head at myself. She had turned me soft. For once. I smirked at the thought.

Once we were all ready for the falls, and our things were safely tucked away in our lockers, Kelly and I met back up with the rest of our group.

We had gotten back just in time. Our guide reminded us of falls climbing safety, and then he took us to the falls.

I just hoped I didn't fall flat on my butt and embarrass myself in front of my wife and everyone else. Even though I had on shoes that should be non-slip, it would still be just my luck for that to happen. I'd just have to take Kelly's hand, so that, if I fell, she'd fall too and I wouldn't be embarrassed all by myself.

Ha! Kelly would kill me if I fell and pulled her down with me, but I'd make it up to her later. I grinned to myself at the thought.

~Kelly~

"It's a good thing neither of us are afraid of heights!" I said as I climbed the falls with my husband.

"Yeah, don't put that idea into my head," he said, looking down.

I smirked. "We're only on the first rock."

"Yeah, but there are six-hundred feet to the falls," he said.

"We're with a guide. Besides, you're with me." I kissed him. "I'd never let anything happen to you."

He suddenly looked guilty. I knew that look from when he ate the last of the cookies, or when he drank most of the milk and left the container in the fridge with not even enough for one glass.

"What?" I asked.

He blushed. "What?"

"You look guilty. What did you do?" I asked.

"Nothing." He shifted his eyes from mine, and I knew he was lying.

I placed my hand on my hip. "Don't you lie to me," I warned.

He still wouldn't look at me as he confessed. "I was going to hold your hand so that, if I fell, I could pull you down with me so I wouldn't be embarrassed by myself." He quickly looked at me. "But I won't do that! You telling me you'd never let anything happen to me made me feel bad. I learned my lesson!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, well, you better have! Men! So inconsiderate of women. They always put their needs first." I walked on ahead of him.

He hurried to catch up, then took my arm and stopped me before I could climb the next level of the fall. "Please don't be angry." He kissed me, and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. "I love you more than I love my own life. I'm a _man_. I have moments of being an idiot. It's in my nature."

I smiled. How could I stay angry with him after he said _that_? I couldn't. I kissed him passionately, then took his hand in mine, and nodded toward the next rock. "Come on. Let's climb this thing."

He grinned; visibly relived that I had forgiven him.

He took my hand and kissed me on the lips, then climbed up the next level of rock with me.

It took us forty-five minutes to climb, but we finally made it to the top.

"Wow. Look how far we climbed!" Matthew said, looking down.

I placed my arm around his waist, and smiled. "And you didn't get any acrophobia."

He nodded. "Very true!" He looked at me, and his eyes lowered. "Come here." He placed his hands around my waist and kissed me.

I closed my eyes and sighed with contentment as I kissed my husband back. I knew no one on earth would ever be able to enjoy the true essence of happiness that only Heaven could bring, but, right at that moment, I was pretty sure that I was the closest to Heaven as one could get on earth.

~Matthew~

I was amazed that I had climbed six-hundred feet. At first, secretly, I had been a little worried that, at forty-two, I'd have a little trouble climbing the to the top of the falls. After all, I wasn't as young as I used to be. However, I was able to climb the falls with ease. I guessed I wasn't too old after all.

As we slowly headed back down, I took Kelly into my arms and pulled her toward the water.

She cried out in delight as the water poured down over our heads.

I kissed her passionately, and she kissed me back just as passionately as the water poured down over us. It was romantic, yet erotic, and I could hardy wait to get her back to our room and ravish her whole.

She broke the kiss and smiled at me. "We better get down there. We don't want to miss the bus to Dolphin Cove."

I nodded, and squeezed her hand in mine. We could enjoy our last stop, but, once we were back on the ship, she was all mine.

When we got to the last part of the rock, I stopped my wife to kiss her again.

"Keep doing this, and I might just have to pull you away somewhere and, well, do things two people mustn't ever do in public," she purred in my ear.

I lowered my eyes. "In that case..." I kissed her more passionately, my hand lingering up to her chest.

She smiled, and let me touch her for only a second, before gently moving my hand away. "Later," she promised.

I shivered as she climbed down the last rock.

I had to have her soon or I was going to spontaneously combust!

I went to climb down after her. "The best part is, I didn't fall flat on my ass like I thought I would!" I said. No sooner had I said that did my foot slip, and I fell into the water at the bottom, landing on my side. It was only about a foot drop, but it still didn't exactly feel nice.

Kelly put a hand to her mouth, but it didn't hide her smile. "Are you all right?"

I groaned, and slowly sat up. I rubbed my right arm, which I had fallen on. I moved my forearm back and forth. At least it didn't appear that I had broken or sprained it. Though, no doubt I was sure to have a bruise there in a bit. "I'm fine."

She held her hand out to me. "Well, at least you didn't fall on your ass." She smirked.

"Haha," I said sarcastically; completely unamused.

She helped me up. "I'm sorry. I know I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I just didn't expect for you to slip on the last rock." She giggled, then quickly covered her mouth.

"Yeah, yeah. That's it. Laugh it up!" I said grumpily.

"Are you all right? I saw you fall, and was worried," a young blonde, who looked to be no more than her mid twenties said to me. She was wearing a very skimpy purple bikini.

I grinned. "I'm fine. Just lost my footing there for a moment."

She giggled. "Just be glad you weren't up higher when you fell, like the top!"

I laughed too. "Tell me about it!"

Kelly's expression suddenly turned sour. I didn't have time to worry about it though, for more women, and some guys even, kept coming up to me to ask me if I was all right. One guy even clapped me on the back and told me that was awesome. The fall hadn't felt so awesome, but hey—anything that got me attention.

"I'll be in the gift shop, picking up something for our children," Kelly said slightly coldly to me. She took off.

I politely said goodbye to my fans, then followed her. Before we had gotten on the shuttle bus back to the ship yesterday, we had remembered we had wanted to get the kids something from every country we stopped at. Thankfully, there was a little gift shop in the restaurant area of the beach. So, we had headed in quick and bought a teeshirt for Anne, a Cayman Islands snow globe for her boyfriend, a little Cayman Island shirt for Lily, and another bucket and pail set so that we could give the three buckets and pails to Hermés, Helena, and Aven.

Anyway, I was hoping to get them something more special than a shirt this time around.

I came up behind Kelly, who was looking at the shirts, and wrapped my arms around her from behind. I kissed the side of her neck. "I'm sorry I got caught up back there."

"You should be apologizing for not getting angry when that purple bikini bimbo laughed at you, but getting angry when _I_ laughed at you," she said.

So _that_ was what this was about. I sighed. "I was a jerk again, and I'm sorry. I was just embarrassed. My ego was bruised. I don't like embarrassing myself in front of you. I don't want you to see me as anything less than stunning and graceful."

She turned around and grinned at me. She raised an eyebrow. "'Stunning and graceful?' Really?"

I shrugged, feeling even more embarrassed now.

She sighed, and pulled me in for a hug. "You're funny, handsome, trustworthy, sexy, sweet, talented, loyal, and incredible in bed. Will you settle for that?"

I grinned. "The last one alone works for me."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. She kissed me. "I love you. And, even if you fall, you'll always be stunning to me."

My eyes lowered with so much love for her, I thought my heart might burst. "And _you'll_ always be stunning to _me_." I kissed her, and gently ran my hand up and down her back as she deepened the kiss.

After a moment, we broke the kiss, and she sighed as she surveyed the souvenir options. "I think I'm just going to get Gary a snow globe, then we'll get the others something at Dolphin Cove."

I nodded. "Sounds good."

Kelly picked out a snow globe of the falls that had Ocho Rios, Jamaica written on the base.

She paid for it, then we headed to get our things from the lockers and meet back up with the group.

I was looking forward to swimming with the dolphins. At least _that_ was something that I couldn't mess up!

~Kelly~

By the time we got to Dolphin Cove, I was excited. This was going to be fun! First, we were going to swim with the dolphins, then we were going to tour a little jungle area. After that, we could look at the little craft village they had there, and finally, we'd be able to have lunch there—included with the price—before getting on the bus and heading back to the ship. It was sure to be a good day.

When we arrived at Dolphin Cove, we were taken to the bathrooms and lockers again. Then, when we met back up with the tour guide, we were given a brief presentation on dolphins.

Finally, we were taken to the dolphins. We were all given life vests that we had to put on, before getting into the water.

After their opening spill, Ashley and Brandon, our dolphin guides, called the dolphins over.

"Aw!" I said, smiling as they introduced the two dolphins as Bailey and Jessie.

Ashley and Brandon had the dolphins doing all kinds of tricks like axles in the air and bouncing beach balls back and forth. Then, they had them dance for us. It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen. I wished we had been allowed pictures and video cameras.

They had us splash, for the dolphins liked that as encouragement to do their tricks. The joke was on us when they splashed us back.

Next, we all had to get into a line and hold hands. I felt like I was getting ready for a line dance.

Anyway, as we all faced the dolphins and held hands, Ashley counted to three, and the dolphins jumped over our heads! I was so nervous they were going to fall on us, but they didn't! It was so precious. I wished the kids were here. I knew they all would have loved it. Even little Lily. Maybe next time, I thought.

After that, we got into two separate lines. Matthew and I were in Bailey's line. When it got to me, I got to rub Bailey's belly. Apparently, dolphins were like dogs in that matter. They loved to have their belly's rubbed.

Next, I got to kiss the dolphin right on the nose. Then, I got to have the dolphin give me a kiss, which was really just his nose to my cheek as I smiled at Brandon's camera.

I watched as Matthew rubbed Bailey's belly. When Matthew kissed Bailey, it was the new sweetest thing I'd ever seen. For some reason, my husband just didn't strike me as a dolphin kisser. However, he was so cute doing so.

The dolphin put his nose to Matthew's cheek as Brandon took a picture, then Matthew gave Bailey a quick head pat before heading back over to me and giving the next person in line their turn.

He placed his hands over my waist, and brushed his lips against my right ear. "I was getting a little jealous of all that action the dolphin was getting."

I laughed, and pushed him away. "You're crazy."

"Only for you," he said, pulling me close and kissing me.

I sighed, and placed my hands against his face as I kissed him in return.

Once everyone had finished kissing the dolphins, we all lined up into two lines again so that we could ride the dolphins.

Matthew and I got in two different lines so that we could swim-side-by-side.

When it got to our turn, I rode Bailey, and he rode Jessie.

It was so much fun! It went by really quick, but Matthew and I were both laughing as we held onto their fins as the dolphins rushed through the water like lightning.

I was sad that the ride was over already once we were back to our guides.

As the other people rode the dolphins, Matthew and I held hands, and watched with smiles on our faces.

"I think that was the most fun I've had on this entire trip!" I said.

Matthew looked at me. "What about making love with me?"

I nodded. "Yeah, this was definitely the most fun I've had."

"Thanks a lot!" he said with a laugh.

I grinned, and took his face in my hands again. "I was only joking. You know being with you is the most fun. Always."

His eyes lowered, and we kissed.

Once everyone had finished riding the dolphins, we were bid adieu from our guides, and told that we could pick our pictures up at the gift shop.

We then headed to the little "jungle" they had, which of course was just a mini version of a jungle. Even so, we got to see exotic birds and snakes.

I didn't want to be anywhere near the snakes, but Matthew got his picture with one over his shoulder.

"Yuck! I hate those things! They give me the creeps," I said,

He grinned wickedly. "Aw, come on! Hold it!" He stepped towards me.

I shrieked, and quickly stepped back.

He laughed, thinking it was just hilarious.

I rolled my eyes, and crossed my arms over my chest; not amused.

After the jungle, we were taken to some water tanks, where we saw the sharks that they had. They were creepy, but not quite as creepy as the snakes. Even so, I knew Hermés would have loved to see them both. It made me want to go on a cruise with the kids even more. We could bring the nanny, and get the kids and nanny their own separate rooms. I made a mental note to mention it to Matthew later.

We looked through the craft village and I ended up getting my mother a pretty vase with dolphins and water, as well as Ocho Rios, Jamaica painted on it.

At the gift shop, we picked up stuffed dolphin's for all the kids, and a dolphin snow globe that had Ocho Rios, Jamaica written on the bottom for Gary, my mother's boyfriend.

Finally, we headed off to eat our lunch. I hoped it was good!

"Hey, Kel, look!"

I looked over to see my husband grinning at me, a hat shaped like a dolphin face on his head. He pressed a button, and the hat shot water up from a blow hole.

I shook my head and laughed. Who cared if the food was good or not? As long as I had my husband—goofiness and all—I knew it would be the best time I've had in a very long time.

~Matthew~

Lunch had been wonderful. It was buffet style with chicken, rice, and beans. The dessert was cookies. It all tasted good enough, but I had had much better. The reason lunch was so great was that we sat next to that purple bikini girl that asked if I was okay when I fell at the falls. I was joking with her throughout a lot of lunch when I wasn't talking to my wife.

The girl's name was Tiffany, and she was laughing at all my jokes, and asking me questions about my life. It always felt nice to have a beautiful young girl interested in me and my life. She ate in her hot pink jean cutoffs and her purple bikini top. It wasn't a bad sight to see while I ate either.

After lunch, Kelly and I went to the bathroom then washed our hands. Then, we gathered our things from the lockers. After that, we met back up with our group, and got back on the bus.

I talked with Tiffany a lot on the bus too. She was a really cool girl!

However, when we arrived back at the ship, Kelly walked on ahead of me without saying a word to me.

I had a feeling something was up, but I wasn't for sure.

When we got passed security and back up to our room, I sat on the bed, and smiled at my wife. "Wanna play a little before dinner?" I wriggled my eyebrows up and down at her.

She rolled her eyes. "After you flirted with Tiffany for most of the day? I think not!"

"Oh, come on! I was being friendly. That's who I am." I could hardly believe she was getting jealous again. It was hot at first, but now it was getting a bit annoying. First Annalisse, and now Tiffany? Come on!

"Yeah, well, sometimes you're a little _too_ friendly. You should have been talking with _me_ during lunch and on the bus. Instead, you were talking with _her_!" She crossed her arms over her chest, and began pacing.

"I did talk with you during lunch! What? I'm only allowed to talk to _you_ now?" I couldn't believe the way she was acting!

"Of course not! But you don't have to talk to every pretty young girl you see. I notice you never talk to men, old ladies or women your own age. And every woman you talk to is incredibly good looking, and at times, scantily clad."

I laughed. "Oh, so now it's _my_ fault when they're scantily clad."

She glared at me coldly. "What I'm saying is that you obviously are lusting over these girls you talk to since you never chose to talk to ugly women, guys, or women who are your own age."

I stood up, and crossed my arms over my chest. "Oh I don't, do I?"

"You know, I can just see it when Helena and Aven are in high school. You'll hit on all their friends. Heck, why wait that long? When Hermés is in high school, you two can double date. You can date his girlfriend's best friend. Or, wait. Maybe you'd want to date the Chuck E. Cheese's age by then." She was so angry she was shaking.

"You're insane. You know that?" I asked. "Not to mention incredibly sick!" I was just as angry, if not angrier.

She had tears in her eyes now, and, for a brief moment, I felt my anger slipping. I hated to see her cry—especially because of me.

"Kel, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it." I tried to touch her, but she stepped back, and pushed my hand away.

She shook her head. "No. You know, I guess I'll never be good enough for you because, your eyes will always wander to something younger and better."

Before I could respond to that, she left the room, slamming the door behind her.

I sighed, then sat down on the bed, and covered my face in my hands. I honestly didn't know what to do anymore.

~Kelly~

I ran out of the room, so hurt. I didn't know how Matthew could act like he was so innocent in the matter and I was the crazy one! I was hurt. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do anymore. I really didn't. In fact, as much as I didn't want to divorce, I was beginning to think that this was just one more marriage of mine that was headed for the drain.


	13. Chapter 13

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 13: That's Where You Take Me**_

~Kelly~

When I got into the elevator, I realized I was in my swimsuit and cover up. Luckily, I was on a cruise ship, and that attire was acceptable everywhere.

I headed to the pool. Maybe a soak in the hot tub would help me relax, I figured.

I got to the pool, then took off my cover up and left it on a lounge chair.

When I turned to the hot tubs, I saw that Chad was in one of them by himself. I sighed. I had wanted some time alone to think, but I supposed a friend to talk to wouldn't hurt.

He smiled and waved at me when he saw me, then motioned me into the tub with him.

I smiled, waved, and got into the tub. I sat in front of him. "Hi," I said. "Where are your friends?"

"They're off enjoying Jamaica still. They have a half hour to get back on the ship. I didn't want to miss the ship. They, on the other hand, always do things last minute. They said they wanted to get every penny's worth of the cruise." He laughed. "Crazy."

I felt my heart sink. I now knew that Matthew thought _I_ was crazy. And it wasn't in the friendly, loving manner that Chad meant toward his friends.

"So, where's your husband?" Chad asked.

I looked down at the bubbling water. "We got into a fight."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. "I'm a good listener."

I sighed, then looked up at him. It might feel good to get it out. I had a feeling Chad would listen. He'd understand. So, without really meaning to, I spilled to him about every fight Matthew and I had on this trip so far—including our most recent one.

Chad listened carefully the whole time. Then, he moved so that he was sitting beside me. "He's an idiot! Doesn't he see the beautiful woman right before his eyes that he had the pure luck of marrying?"

I smiled. "Thank you. At least _someone_ appreciates this old hag."

He stroked some hair our of my eyes, then stroked my cheek. "You're not an old hag! You're a beautiful young woman, and, if you were mine, I'd never make you feel under appreciated, and I would certainly never let my eyes wander to some young bimbos."

I blushed, still smiling. "Thank you."

He leaned in then, and I knew he planned on kissing me.

I pushed him away a little harder than I intended to. He stumbled back a little.

"What the heck? What did I do?" he asked.

"You tried to kiss me! I may be having a fight with my husband now, but it doesn't mean I'm going to leave him. I still love him," I said, amazed that he even had to ask what he did.

He moved closer to me again. "But why?" He stroked my cheek again. "I can love you so much better than he can. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't love you at all. He's probably banging Tiffany and Annalisse _both_ right now." He tried to kiss me again.

This time, I slapped him hard across the face. "I said no!"

He stumbled back and put his hand to his cheek. "You bitch! Get out of here now!"

"Gladly!" I said, fighting the urge to kick him in the head.

I got out of the hot tub, went over and grabbed my cover up, then headed back to the room. Matthew might be there, I knew, but right then I really didn't care just so long as I got the hell away from Chad. How I ever could have been so dumb and naive to befriend him was beyond me. At least now I knew.

~Matthew~

I went to the bar after my fight with Kelly, and ordered the strongest thing they had. I just wanted to forget the whole mess with Kelly. I wasn't having any fun on this ship, so I had to change that. It was a vacation after all.

"Don't you think that's a little strong to be drinking on a cruise ship?"

I turned to Annalisse, whom I hadn't noticed sitting next to me until now. Then again, I _had_ just sat down.

"How is it that you're always here when I am?" I asked.

She shrugged, then held up her blue martini. "I told you I was a lush." She took a long sip, then turned to the bartender. "He'll have a beer instead. Coors."

I sighed, and shot her a look. "Since when did you become my mother." She downed the rest of her drink, then put the glass on the counter. "I'll have a strawberry daiquiri now, Derek. Please." She turned back to me. "You're upset. You shouldn't drink strong alcohol when you're upset. You'll just end up wanting to drink more and more until you're too sick and out of it to care."

"Uh, that's kind of the point," I said. The bartender handed me my drink. I thanked him, then took a long swig straight from the bottle. I let out a refreshed "Ah," then set the bottle down.

"Here you go, Annalisse." The bartender handed Annalisse her drink and smiled at her.

"Thank you, Derek," she said, smiling back.

The bartender grinned at her for a moment longer, then went onto his next customer.

"You _must_ drink here a lot if you're on a first name basis with the bartender," I said to Annalisse.

She smirked. "We went on a date last night. He had the night off. Now, don't change the subject."

"How do you go on a date on a ship?" I asked.

She grinned. "There's stuff to do on the ship. Besides, sometimes all you need is a bedroom anyway." She winked. "Now, like I said, don't change the subject. What's wrong?"

I sighed. I might as well tell her, I figured. It would feel good to get it off my chest and have a sympathetic ear, since I obviously wasn't getting that with Kelly.

I told Annalisse everything, and she kept quiet the whole time, listening like the good friend that she was. That was until I finished and she opened her mouth to give me advice. "I think you're being an idiot."

I blinked, wondering if I had heard her wrong. "Excuse me?"

She nodded. "You heard me. Why on earth would you look at a young girl in a bikini when you have a smoking hot wife? If I were married, and my husband kept talking to scantily clad girls young enough to be his daughter, I'd rip him a new one! You're lucky Kelly loves you too much to rip your you-know-what off."

"I'm not always the one that initiates the conversations, you know! I'm just being friendly. What? Should I be rude and ignore the girls that come up to me?" I asked, feeling my anger return.

She nodded. "If it makes Kelly uncomfortable for you to talk to them, then yes!"

"She should trust me!" I said. "I shouldn't have to censor who I am for her."

Annalisse shook her head. "No, but maybe you give her reason not to trust you. I'm not sure _I'd_ trust you if I were married to you and you looked at every young chick but her. She probably feels insecure, and I don't blame her one bit! Sure you shouldn't have to censor yourself, but you could change when it means making her happy."

"What do _you_ know? You're just a lush who has sex with bartenders on the first date!" I snapped. I knew it was an ass hole thing to say, but right then, I was too angry to care. Here I thought she was going to agree with me and lend a sympathetic ear, and instead, she tells me what a jack ass I was being. Some friend!

She got off of her chair and placed a hand over top of my shoulder. "You're angry and upset, so I'll ignore that last comment. But let me tell you this. If you keep acting the way you are and hitting on young girls when you're on your honeymoon with your wife, then you're going to lose the best thing that ever happened to you. And, for what? Some bimbo who will dumb you the second you get your first grey hair or lose your fame? I'll see you around." With that, she left the bar, leaving me sitting there, feeling like an idiot. I had just been served, and I don't mean by the bartender.

~Kelly~

I headed back to find that my husband of course wasn't in the room. It made me think of Chad telling me he was probably off banging Annalisse and Tiffany together. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. It always came back to the fact that he had cheated on Naama with me. Who was to say he wouldn't cheat on _me_?

I felt so sick I almost threw up. I hopped into the shower and took a quick shower, then I dressed for dinner, and headed out of the room. I wondered if my husband would show. I just hoped he and Annalisse weren't both missing from dinner. Then I'd _really_ have to worry. Heck, even if she _was_ there and he wasn't, I'd worry he was with Tiffany.

I sighed. How did I ever get myself into this mess?

When I got to dinner, I sat down. Annalisse was there, as were the rest of the table except for my husband of course.

"Hello, Kelly! Where's Matthew?" Sandy asked kindly.

I shrugged. "Heck if _I_ know."

Sandy cast me a weary look. Even Annalisse shot me a look. Only her look was more knowing. I wondered if he had told her about our fight. Probably. Which meant, he had gone running to her.

I sighed. I didn't even have the energy to be angry with Annalisse anymore. My husband was responsible for his own actions.

The waiter took our drink orders, then, after a brining us our drinks, he took our food orders. Matthew still wasn't there at that time, so I figured he wasn't coming.

Then, just before the waiter took off, he appeared, looking frazzled. He sat down at the table. "Sorry I'm late. I'll have a Coke, and to eat I'll have..." He quickly looked over his menu, then looked up at the waiter once deciding. "The tortilla soup for my appetizer, and the Jamaican jerk chicken for my main course."

The waiter wrote it down, then promised to be back with his drink and appetizer.

Matthew looked over at me, but I quickly looked away. I was hurt, and therefore still angry with him. Even so, I felt a little bit of relief seeing him here and without Tiffany at that. Even so, I still had the little voice in my head asking if he had slept with Tiffany, or even Annalisse for that matter, before coming to dinner. Maybe he had just come from Tiffany's room. Or maybe Annalisse had come to dinner a little earlier than him to try to throw me off. I didn't know. I really didn't know.

I talked with everyone but Matthew during dinner. He talked to Greg, and that was it. I had even talked to Annalisse, thanking her when she complimented me on my dress.

"Kelly, there is a talent show tonight. Did you sign up?" Sandy asked me, referring to the talent show that cruise passengers could audition for and sign up for throughout the week of the cruise.

I shook my head. "No. I do so much acting, I like to just sit back and watch other people act some times."

"So, you're coming to the show tonight then? You can sit with Greg and I." Sandy glanced at Matthew as if she were saying to me, _"Since I know you don't want to sit with _him_."_

"Well, I, uh..." I didn't really want to go, but I had just said that I wanted to watch people act...or whatever talent someone chose to do.

"Oh, come on! It will be fun. Please join us?" Sandy pressed.

I guessed it would be better than sitting in the room with Matthew in awkward silence, or, worse yet, sitting in the room _without_ Matthew, wondering whom he was with.

"All right, sure. Why not?" I asked, trying to make my smile look sincere.

"Yay!" Sandy smiled, and clapped her hands with glee.

I looked down at my food as it came, and avoided my husband's eyes.

~Matthew~

I was beginning to wish I hadn't gone to dinner. I felt awkward to say the least. It was just, after my rejection, I wanted to go find my wife and try to make things right. Also, I was a little depressed. And, when I got depressed, I liked to eat.

_ My rejection._ I blushed at the memory. It was embarrassing, but at least it gave me a nice wakeup call.

_I was still sitting at the bar, when I saw Tiffany pass through. She smiled at me and waved. "Hey, you! You sore at all from your fall?" She headed over to me._

_ I shook my head. "No, thank God. I feel fine."_

_ "Well, in that case, do you want to come play Bingo? The cash prize is five hundred dollars if you win." She winked at me._

_ At first, it struck me as a little odd that a young girl would want to play Bingo, but then I figured money was money, and anyone above eighteen would play Bingo if a big cash prize was involved._

_ I grinned. "Sure!" Since I was already quite wealthy, I decided that, if I won, I'd give the money to her. That would make me look even better to her._

_ Her face lit up. "Awesome! Follow me." She motioned with her hand, and nodded toward the direction she wanted to go._

_ I followed her, admiring her from behind. She was wearing a purple sun dress that clung to her hourglass figure like a glove._

_ When we got to the bingo hall, she batted her long lashes at me and grinned, displaying her perfectly white teeth. "Thank you so much, for agreeing to play."_

_ I grinned back at her. "Oh, it's not a problem, trust me. I enjoy your company."_

_ She blushed. "Actually, I won't be staying."_

_ "Huh?" I was confused._

_ She smiled at a young, twenty-something blonde guy, who looked to be straight out of a soap opera. He waved to her, and she blew him a kiss. He smiled and pretended to catch it. _

_Okay. Now I was even more confused. _

_ She turned to me, and pushed some of her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, but I thought you might not mind playing with my grandfather. He looks to be around your age, and my fiance and I would like to have a little time alone. We took him on this cruise with us to try to get his mind off my mother's passing, but we didn't realize he'd expect us to entertain him every waking moment. Could you just play a game or two with him. Please?"_

_ I sighed. I looked to be around her grandfather's age? Ouch! It would have been bad enough had she said her father._

_ For a brief couple of seconds, I contemplated on just bolting. But then I thought of her poor grandfather with no one to play Bingo with, so I agreed._

_ She clapped her hands and smiled at me. "Thank you!" She gave me a big hug. Too little too late._

_ She then led me over to her smoking hot boyfriend and her grandfather, who clearly was more than just "around my age." Come to think of it, he had to be in his sixties at_ least _to have a granddaughter Tiffany's age. That only made me feel even more like an idiot._

_ "Hey, Granddad! This is Matthew. He's going to play a couple of games with you while Josh and I have some time alone, all right?" Tiffany asked._

_ "What? I can't hear you!" the old man said._

_ Tiffany reached down and turned her father's hearing aid up before repeating herself. _

_ "Who the hell's Matthew?" he grumbled._

_ "He's my friend," Tiffany said to him. "We'll meet back up with you at dinner."_

_ She turned to me. "His name is Charles. Have fun, and thanks!" She waved, then took off quickly before I could change my mind._

_ I sighed, then sat down next to Charles. _

_ "Boy, can you help me with my card? I can't hear the caller that well sometimes, and it's hard for me to see the board," Charles said to me._

_ I nodded. "Sure."_

_ Needless today, I stayed for two games before using a seasick excuse and bolting out of there like a bat out of hell._

_ I had only stayed for two games because I had felt sorry for the old coot. _

Thinking back on it, I felt like an idiot. Of course Tiffany wanted a man her own age. She was young and beautiful on the ship with her young and handsome boyfriend. Why would she or any young girl want an old man like me? Not that I was all _that_ old. I still had my hearing and eye sight, thank God. And, more importantly, I had my beautiful wife, and our beautiful kids. I had been an ass, and it had taken the whole embarrassing situation to realize that. I found it sad that it had taken _that_ to snap me out of it.

Well, I planned on making it up to my wife. I just hadn't known _how_. That was, until Sandy mentioned the talent show. Then I knew _exactly_ what I needed to do. I just hoped I'd be able to pull it off.

As soon as I had had my dessert, I bolted from the restaurant. I knew Kelly was going to think I was just being a jerk, but she'd hopefully forgive me once she saw what I had planned. But, right then I couldn't worry about that. Right then, I had some things to do in order for my plan to work.

~Kelly~

The talent show was interesting. There were really good dancers, and really good singers. There were even some funny comedians and some very talented gymnasts. It took my mind off of my husband for a little bit, but, every now and then I'd still wonder where he was, and if he was with another woman. Though I enjoyed the show, I knew I'd have enjoyed it a lot more had my husband been there with me.

"All right! Thank you James Michaels for your hilarious impersonations. That concludes our acts for tonight's talent show. However, while the judges are tallying the result, I have some last minute entertainment for you. It's a man who wants to right a wrong he has made. Everybody, Mr. Matthew Settle."

The crowd cheered, and my eyes shot up to the stage. _What on earth?_ I thought as my husband walked onto the stage. Some stagehands brought out a wooden stool, which he sat down on with a guitar.

"What's he up to?" Sandy whisper asked, gently nudging me with her elbow.

"You're guess is as good as mine," I whispered back.

"Hello. I've been acting like an idiot while on this cruise. I keep letting my eyes wonder to pretty girls who are young enough to be my daughter. It's bad enough that I did that, but to do that when I have the most beautiful wife in the world, well, that's just downright stupid! I guess I was just afraid of getting old. In order to not feel so old, I flirted with younger women. But my wife is as beautiful and youthful as any of those girls, only she is a million times hotter than any of them. I realize that now. And, even though I don't deserve her forgiveness, I hope my wife will forgive me." Matthew's eyes fell upon mine, and this time I didn't look away. "I love you, Baby. I didn't have time to write you a song, but I looked long and hard on the internet for a song that fit how I feel about you, and I came across this one. I hope you like it, and can find it in that beautiful heart of yours to forgive me."

I felt my heart melt, and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"This song is by Miley Cyrus, and called, 'When I Look at You,'" he said.

I smiled even bigger, and listened as he began the song.

_"Everybody needs inspiration. Everybody needs a song. A beautiful melody when the night's so long. 'Cause there is no guarantee that this life is easy."_

I started to feel the tears well up in my eyes already.

_"Yeah, when my world is falling apart, when there's no light to break up the dark, that's when I, I, I look at you. When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home anymore, that's when I, I, I look at you."_

His eyes were on mine, and there was no way I could tear my eyes away from his.

_"When I look at you, I see forgiveness. I see the truth. You love me for who I am. Like the stars hold the moon right there where they belong, and I know I'm not alone. Yeah, when my world is falling apart, when there's no light to break up the dark, that's when I, I, I look at you. When the waves are flooding the shore, and I can't find my way home anymore, that's when I, I, I look at you."_

My heart was pounding in my chest. I believe it was that moment that I fell even more in love with him than I already was.

_"You appear just like a dream to me. Just like kaleidoscope colors that cover me, all I need, every breath that I breathe. Don't ya know, you're beautiful? Yeah, yeah...  
When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home anymore, that's when I, I, I look at you. I look at you. Yeah, yeah. Oh, oh... You appear just like a dream to me."_

And just like that, the song was over.

The whole crowd applauded, and he stood up and bowed. "Thank you," he said into the microphone before leaving the stage.

"Wow, if I was his wife, _I'd_ forgive him. How about that?" the host of the talent show asked.

The audience applauded louder. "Now, for the results you've all been waiting for. The third place winner goes to Darla and Darlene with their dance rendition of Britney Spear's "Slave 4 U."

The audience cheered, and I looked around for my husband. He wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Second place goes to James Michaels for his impersonations."

More cheering was heard, and still no sign of my husband.

"And the winner of the Carnival Liberty Talent Show contest is... Julia Parker for her original song, 'Daydreams and Moonbeams!'"

As the crowd cheered, I told Sandy I was going back to the room to find my husband.

She nodded, and gave me a knowing smile. "You forgive that boy." She glanced at her husband. "I wish Greg would do something like that for me." She elbowed him.

He rubbed his arm. "Gee, when you do things like that, I wonder why I don't," he quipped.

She rolled her eyes, and turned back to me. "Talk to you tomorrow."

I smiled, and gently rubbed her arm. "Yes, I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for inviting me to this. I'm glad I came."

Sandy snorted. "I bet you are!"

I rolled my eyes, smiled, and shook my head, then ran off to find my husband. I forgave him, but we still had a lot of talking to do. Then, maybe, depending on how our discussion went, we might just have a making up period. _Gosh_ I hoped for that. I guessed I'd soon find out. That was, if he was even in our room...

~Matthew~

I was relieved when my wife walked into our room.

She shut the door behind her, and walked into the bedroom part of our room. "Good, you're here. I liked you're performance. Where did you get the guitar, and how did you even get to perform?" She smirked.

Well, she was smiling. I figured that had to be a good sign at least. "I begged the person in charge of the talent show to let me perform. I told him who I was, and what my situation was. It worked. He said they could use an act to perform while they were making their decisions anyway. Once I got the okay, I borrowed a fellow contestant's guitar." I sat down on the bed, and let her speak.

"Did you really mean what you said?" she asked me.

I nodded. "I know it's no excuse, but I guess I'm one of those guys who never wants to grow up. I was having a mid-life crisis. That's all I can think of to explain the horrible way I acted."

"What made you realize all this?" she asked.

I blushed. I supposed she deserved to know what had happened. I told her all about the Tiffany incident, expecting her to laugh.

"What did you expect to happen with Tiffany?" she asked instead.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Nothing really. I just liked the attention I was getting from a pretty girl so much younger than me. It made me feel youthful again."

"And I'm too old to make you feel youthful." She said it more as a statement than a question.

I shook my head. "No! Like I said on stage, you are a million—no, a _billion_—times hotter than any of those girls. And you're more mature. You're a heck of a lot more mature than _I_ am. I guess it's because guys mature slower than girls."

She smiled. "That's the first time I heard a guy admit that."

I grinned. "Well, it's true. I'm living proof. I'm sorry, Kel. I promise I won't go after any stupid young women anymore. You're my wife, and you're the only one I want to be with."

"Am I?" she asked.

"Of course!" I could hardly believe she didn't believe me. Then again, after the way I had been acting, maybe I could.

"This cruise will be over the day after tomorrow, and we spent the majority of the time fighting! You were married to a woman in her twenties. And, now that you're married to me, you still seem to want women in their twenties. When I got pregnant with Lily, we moved so fast. You proposed to me practically the second after you left your wife. We married only a year after that. I'm beginning to think we acted too impulsively."

My heart sank a little. "Are you saying you regret marrying me?"

She shook her head. "No! Not for a second! But I think _you_ regret marrying _me_."

I shook my head. "Never!"

"Mainly all we've done on this trip is argue or spend it apart. I spent time with a guy I hardly knew, and you spend time with two girls in their twenties! That says something to me that you didn't want to hang with me, your _wife_." She started to sob. "Maybe you felt obligated to marry me. Well, if you want out, then I don't want you to be forced into something you don't want and pining after a younger girl."

I hated seeing her cry! I ran over to her. "Don't you _ever_ suggest a divorce! You hear me? If you wanted one, then I wouldn't keep you in a marriage you didn't want to be in. But, let me tell you this. I will _never_ want to divorce you. You hear me? I don't want a younger woman. I want _you_."

"But you cheated on your wife with me. Who's to say you wouldn't cheat on me? After our argument today, I kept worrying that you were out having sex with Annalisse or Tiffany." She sobbed into my shoulder. "I couldn't bear it if you ever cheated on me!"

I pulled her away from me so that she was forced to look into my eyes. "I'd _never_ cheat on you. You hear me? Look, if I wanted a younger woman, then why did I cheat on my wife with an _older_ woman?"

"You didn't have to specify the older." She smiled to show she was only kidding.

I grinned. "You know why I did."

She nodded, and stroked some hair out of my eyes.

"I love you and only you, Kel. I meant every word of what I said on stage, and every word of what I sang. You are my everything. You're the only one I love." He kissed me. "You're the only one I need." He kissed down my neck. "And the only one I'll _ever_ want and need." He kissed me again on the lips, then got down onto his knees and clasped his hands as if praying. "Please forgive me, Baby. Please?"

She smiled down at me. "Well, I do love a man who is willing to beg. I can forgive you if you can forgive _me_."

I stood up. "For what?"

She sighed. "For being a naive idiot and thinking Chad was just being friendly."

I suddenly felt very alert, and a little worried. "What did he do?"

She told me how he tried to kiss her in the hot tub, and how he filled her head with lies.

I clenched my fists. "I'm going to kill the little bastard!" I headed for the door, determined to find him and beat the hell out of him. He'd be sorry he ever tried to make a move on my wife, or tell her I was probably cheating on her and didn't love her!

She pulled me back. "Matthew, no! Please, don't leave. I don't want you getting arrested for assault. He's not worth it. Please stay with me. I need you. We've spent far too much time apart on this cruise as is. I want to spend what little time we have left on it with you."

I sighed, feeling my anger start to dissolve as I looked into her beautiful eyes. "He's damn lucky he didn't succeed in kissing you. It's bad enough Bailey kissed you."

She giggled, and I felt the rest of my anger disappear. I wrapped my arms around her waist. "You know, we never did get that day you promised me where we'd make love all day long."

She smiled, and stroked some hair out of my eyes. "Well, I did say on a day at sea, and tomorrow _is_ a day at sea."

I grinned. "So, tomorrow we'll have our day. And I'm not going to let you out of my sight even for a second!"

She smirked. "Um, except when I go to the bathroom, or _you_ do for that matter."

I laughed. "Deal!"

She kissed me, stroking my hair as she did so.

I moaned, and slowly backed her to the bed. "Wanna practice tonight for tomorrow?"

She grinned, and nodded her head. "I think you have it coming to you after that song, and all the nice things you said about me."

I smiled. "And I meant every word."

We went back to kissing, and it didn't take long after that for us to be making love. I was going to make up for the time we lost on the cruise starting right then. And, as for tomorrow, well, tomorrow was going to make today's makeup session look like child's play. There was no doubt about _that_.


	14. Chapter 14

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 14: Your Love is My Drug**_

~Matthew~

I woke up early, and I was glad I did, for I wanted to surprise Kelly with breakfast in bed.

I looked over to my right, and saw that she was still sleeping. Good. I gently climbed out of bed, careful so as not to wake her, then grabbed the room service menu, and headed to the phone. I quietly ordered our food. I really hoped Kelly didn't wake up until the food had arrived.

When I finished ordering, I hung up the phone, then headed into the bathroom. I went to the bathroom, washed my hands, then quickly showered so that I could at least start the day off fresh. I knew, by the end of the day, I was going to be very dirty, all thanks to Kelly. I loved getting dirty that way. I grinned to myself as I washed my hair and body. Then, I turned off the water, dried off, and slipped on a bathrobe. There was no use in dressing in anything else. It would just end up coming right back off me.

I came back into the room, and Kelly's eyes fluttered open. She smiled. "Good morning, Baby. Come here. I like you beside me when I wake up."

I smiled, and was about to head over to her when there was a knock on the door.

"Room service," said the voice behind the door.

I grinned, and opened the door. The bell boy rolled the food cart in.

I thanked him, tipped him, then shut the door behind him.

I brought the tray over to Kelly, and placed it on her lap. "Breakfast in bed for my beautiful wife."

"Aw!" She kissed me. "You're so good to me."

I shook my head. "I haven't been. Today I'm going to spend making that up to you."

She kissed me again, then looked at her food. "Mm..." She licked her lips as she saw the French Toast with powdered sugar on top. There was also scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. To drink, I had orange juice and milk.

"I don't know if I'll be able to eat all this!" she said.

I smiled, then kissed her cheek. "We can share. I requested two sets of silverware."

She grinned. "All right!"

I cut the French toast for her, and then fed her a bite.

"Mm..." She licked her lips. "It's good."

"Do you want the orange juice or the milk?" I asked her.

"Whatever one you don't want," she said.

So I took the orange juice and she took the milk.

I fed her a few more bites of French toast.

"Mm. Now it's your turn." She forked a bite of French toast, then held it to my lips.

I let her feed me the bite. It really _was_ good. "Mm... So good!" I said.

She smiled, and fed me a few more bites.

I then fed her a couple more, and then she fed me the last of it.

"I really shouldn't be eating this bacon, but it looks and smells so good!" She picked up a slice and ran it under her nose. She inhaled the delicious scent, then bit into it. She closed her eyes as she savored the taste. "Mm. So, _so_ good!"

I ate some bacon as well. That too was good.

We fed each other the scrambled eggs next, then finished off with the sausage.

Kelly looked at me with that flirtatious glint in her eye as she ate her sausage. She moved the sausage slowly in and out of her mouth, the sausage gliding between her lips.

I moaned.

"What's the matter, Baby? Reminding you of anything?" She slipped her free hand in my bathrobe, and stroked me.

"All right, I think breakfast is done," I said, swallowing the last bite of sausage and then downing the rest of my orange juice.

"As much as I enjoyed it, I thought it would never end!" Kelly shoved the rest of the sausage into her mouth, then downed the rest of her milk. She set her glass back on the tray, then I took the tray filled with our dirty dishes and left it and the cart outside our door.

Then, I put the do not disturb sign on the outside door handle, and shut the door tightly behind me.

I turned toward the bed, ready to get back in, but Kelly stopped me.

"Drop the robe," he said, her eyes boring into mine.

I grinned as I untied the robe. I let it slip from my shoulders.

Her eyes darkened with a hunger that I recognized all to well. "Now get in here."

I licked my lips, then hopped into bed, not having to be told twice.

~Kelly~

I kissed my sexy husband, then moved us so that I was straddling him.

He placed his hands over my hips. "Careful now. I don't want you to fall and hit your head again." He grinned.

I smirked. "Oh, I'll be careful." I slowly ran my hands down his chest, kissing down the invisible trail my hands left behind.

He ran his fingers through my hair, and watched me as I continued to kiss down his chest, to his stomach, and then lower.

He moaned. "_I_ should be the one pleasuring _you_—not the other way around. He moaned as my mouth continued to work him.

I paused only long enough to smile up and him and say, "Don't worry. There will be plenty of time for that later. After all, this day _is_ technically yours."

"Still..." he protested.

"Mm, just shut up and enjoy it," I murmured before taking him into my mouth again.

He moaned, a long, drawn out moan as I continued to work him. His hips went up instinctively, but I gently pressed them back down.

The more he moaned, the hotter it made me for him. It only took a few minutes of tongue circling and ever so gentle teeth scraping against the underside, and he lost it, screaming my name as he did so.

I took everything he had to offer, then kissed my way back up his stomach and chest until I got to his lips.

He moaned into the kiss, his fingers trailing up my back from underneath my pink lace camisole.

"Mm, now it's definitely your turn," he purred.

He started to crawl down my body, but I stopped him. "No. I want other parts of you right now."

He grinned at me, and crawled back up my body. "All right. I think I can accommodate your needs. But, in order for me to do _that_... These need to come off. He placed his hands over the band of my lacy pink boy shorts and that matched my camisole, and slipped them down my legs and off of me. He tossed them to the floor. "And this." His hands ran underneath my camisole, and up to my breasts.

I whisper moaned as fondled my breasts for a bit before tugging at the hem of the camisole.

I lifted my arms, and he pulled the camisole off, tossing it to the floor with my boy shorts before gently lying me back down onto my back. He straddled me, then held my hands above my head as he licked, kissed, and sucked at my breasts.

I closed my eyes and moaned. There was something about closing your eyes that made the pleasure intensified. It was thrilling and exuberating.

He kissed up my neck as he entered me, and I felt the pleasure intensify from top to bottom.

I opened my eyes, and his lips covered mine.

He released his hands from mine so that I could wrap my arms around him.

I kissed him even more passionately, and his thrusts intensified.

I moaned, feeling my eyes start to roll back a little.

He continued to make me feel so good. He was incredible at everything he did, but this...This was top on the list.

I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist. In return, he picked me up just slightly so that we were both almost sitting up. Then, he slammed be back down onto the bed, causing him to be able to enter me again at just the right angle and the right amount of force.

My eyes rolled even farther back into my head as my head fell back. "Oh, _gosh_, Matthew, yes!" I screamed.

Of course this only encouraged him more. He took me over and over just like that until we were both moaning, and trembling in the other's arms.

We climaxed so close together, I don't think either of us was sure who had orgasmed first.

We just held each other for a moment, the only movement coming from us being our chests rising and falling as we panted hard. The only sound being our pants as our bodies calmed down.

After a moment, he gently pulled out of me, then climbed up my body and kissed me.

I took his face between my hands with a content sigh. "Mm. You're amazing. You know that?" I asked him.

He grinned, and kissed me back. "It takes two to be this amazing."

I grinned too, and we kissed some more.

Soon, our kissing turned into him kissing my breasts, then down to my stomach, and finally to my most intimate area.

I moaned. "You don't have to..." I trailed off. The pleasure he was giving me kind of made my mind all muddled, and I couldn't think of what I was going to say.

He moaned. The vibrations along almost made me lose it.

He looked up at me. "I _want_ to. I love you." Then, he went back to work.

"Ugh!" I moaned. I threw my head back and closed my eyes. My mind was too full of mush to say or think anything else.

~Matthew~

"Mm, all right, I need to rest. You're wearing me out," Kelly said in between kisses after I had pleasured her.

I smiled against her lips, my forehead resting against her forehead. "I wore you out already? Mm, I know I just made you orgasm so hard, but we've technically only made love once."

She smiled. "I know, but you're so good, you take a lot out of me. Just give me a few minutes to rest and catch my breath. Please?"

I kissed her forehead. "You know I can never say no to you."

She smiled again, and I kissed her sweet lips.

"Thank you, Baby," she said, her forehead rested against mine.

I kissed her yet again, then got up off the bed. "I have to go to the bathroom anyway. I'll give you ten minutes to rest. Then, I have things planned for you."

She propped herself up on her hand and raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And what might _that_ be?" She smirked, seemingly amused.

I grinned. "Just a few things I've been planning since we planned to take a day to make love all day."

"I can't wait," she said, the grin still on her face. She lay her head on her pillow then rolled on her side, and closed her eyes.

I licked my lips as I watched her for a moment. Even just watching her lying there naked under the covers after our love making—knowing that I'm the one who made her that tired—made me want her all the more.

I headed into the bathroom, eager for the ten minutes to be up.

I dug into my suitcase until I found the brown paper bag that contained the things I had brought for this special day. I then looked at my watch. Ten minutes had passed.

I walked over to the bed, and sat down next to my wife. I placed a hand over her back. Her eyes were closed, so I wasn't sure if she was sleeping. "Are you awake?" I asked.

"Mm..." She turned to me and opened her eyes with a smile. "I am now."

I smiled back at her, and kissed her sweetly on the lips.

She nodded toward the paper bag in my hand. "What's that for?"

I grinned. "It's the supplies I bought specifically for this day."

She sat up and grinned. "What's in there?"

"Well... Remember how we said we should give each other private massages?" I asked.

She nodded and smiled. "I remember."

"Well, while you were taking your nap that one day, I stopped by the spa and picked up a couple bottles of massage oil." I took out a bottle. "This one is lavender. The sales lady said that lavender is their most popular scent. It's supposed to relax you like nothing else."

Kelly smiled. "Sounds good!"

"And this one is coconut. I figured a tropical scent was appropriate since we're on our cruise." I winked at her.

She took my face between her hands and kissed me. "Let's try them out."

I kissed her before responding. "But I didn't finish showing you what's in the bag."

She turned on her side, facing me, and propped her head up on her hand again. "All right, show me."

The next thing I took out was a five pack of flavored lubricants. "I figured we could have a little fun with these," I said, raising my eyebrows up and down suggestively.

She laughed. "Flavored lubricants? All right. What flavors are there?"

"Well, there's grape, lime, cherry, blueberry, and watermelon," I said. I held up the lubricants package, which held the purple, green, red, blue, and pink bottles.

She licked her lips. "Sounds good. Anything else?"

I gave her sly look and smirk. "There _is_ one more thing."

She sat up straight. "What is it?" She reached for the bag, but I quickly pulled it away before she could grab it.

She pouted. "Come on! Tell me what it is."

"All right. I'll show you." I took out the last item from the bag. It was a little rainbow colored vibrating bullet which is basically a mini vibrator.

She raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow? What? Did you get it from a gay sex shop?" She giggled at her own joke.

I laughed. "Shut up! I couldn't decide what one to get, so I got the rainbow one. I figured, being a woman, you liked rainbow things. Most girls love glitter and rainbows."

"I do, but why do I need one of those when I have this perfectly good piece of equipment right here?" She took my groin into her hand and gently began to stroke it.

I moaned, and gently pushed her hand away. She had pleasured me enough so far. I wanted to either pleasure her, or have the pleasure be mutual. "It has three speeds." I pressed the bottom on top three times to show her, then shot her another sly look. "It could be fun."

She smiled, then gently ran her hands up my chest. "It's _always_ fun with _you_."

My eyes lowered, and I set the bullet aside so that I could lay her down beneath me and kiss her, all the while fondling her breasts. "So, what should we use first?" I asked her after breaking one of the kisses. I kissed her again, already missing her lips.

"Mm, let's try the massages. I'll do you first."

I smiled, and raised my eyebrows up and down. "Ooh! Sounds kinky."

She laughed, and reached for the oils. "Which one do you want to try?"

"Mm, definitely the coconut. I want to keep this tropical vibe for as long as I can." I lay on my stomach and closed my eyes. I could hardly wait to feel her hands all over my body. And, of course, I could hardly wait to repay her with my hands all over her gorgeous, sexy, soft body. I licked my lips at the thought. When it got to be my turn to massage her, I didn't think I was going to be able to contain myself. Somehow though, I didn't think she'd complain. I knew _I_ wouldn't!

~Kelly~

I ran the coconut oil over my husband's back slowly, making sure to massage it deep into his shoulders. His moans told me I was doing something right.

Encouraged, I continued with his shoulders for a short bit, then went back to his back, massaging his spine with my thumb.

"Mm, feels good," he said.

Once I got to his lower back, I massaged it for a moment, then turned him onto his back.

I put more oil into my hands, then ran my hands slowly down his chest, then back up, then down again. Then, I worked on massaging his arms and hands. After that was his legs and feet.

"Um, you're forgetting a vital part of the massage," he said with a grin, his eyebrows moving up and down suggestively.

I took more oil between my hands and rubbed them together. "What ever could you mean? Your neck?" I began to gently massage his neck, and tried my best not to smirk.

His eyes darkened. "You know what I mean."

I smirked. "Now, if I do _that_ you're gonna wanna make love."

"And that would be a problem why?" he asked.

"Because I want my massage first," I said simply.

He sighed. "You're killing me."

I lay on my stomach. "It's my massage or nothing."

"Oh, fine!" he said with another sigh.

"I'll take the lavender please," I said.

I closed my eyes and heard him grab the bottle. My eyes shot open when I felt the cool liquid spill over my back. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I prefer to just pour some of the oil directly onto your skin. That way, I don't have to keep going back for more," he explained as he set the bottle back onto the nightstand.

"That's one way of doing it, I guess," I said.

He massaged my shoulders, back, spine, and lower back as I had done for him. Then, he turned me around. He put oil into his hands this time, then massaged my feet. He got more oil, and massaged my legs. He took more oil into his hands and massaged my neck, arms and hands. Then, he poured some oil onto my chest and massaged my stomach, then rib cage. Then, he massaged my shoulders. Next, he poured some oil onto my breasts, then began massaging them. His eyes met with mine, and our eyes were locked as he continued to massage my breasts.

I moaned, and bit my lip as he moved his thumbs in slow motion over my nipples.

"Are you ready for me yet?" he asked.

My eyes darkened. "Give it to me."

He smiled slyly. "Give what to you?"

I grabbed the coconut oil from the nightstand, and took some oil into my right hand. I set the bottle back down with my left hand, then stroked the object in question. "This."

His head was thrown back, and his eyes closed as he moaned. He looked at me as he put some lavender oil into his right hand. He set the bottle back down with his left. "Where do you want it? Right there?" He ran his oil-slicked fingers inside me, moving them up and down.

This time it was my head that was thrown back, and my eyes that closed as I moaned.

He smirked. "I'll take that as a yes."

He straddled me and kissed me, all the while entering me.

I moaned into the kiss. He felt even more incredible with the oil on us.

We didn't take it slow. Neither of us wanted to, and we both knew it.

Our moans echoed off the walls as he made love to me hard and fast. Needless to say, it wasn't long before we both reached our climaxes.

He stayed inside me for a moment, then gently pulled out. "Ready for more?" he asked, raising his eyebrows up and down suggestively as he held up the bullet.

I shook my head. "No. I'm far too sensitive down there right now for that," I told him.

"Well, how about..." He looked in the paper bag again. "I know I bought it. I had forgotten about it. Maybe it fell out into my suit case."

"What?" I asked.

He got out of bed, and headed to his suitcase. He searched around until he found what he was looking for. He then held it up to me with a grin.

I looked at the item, then couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"

~Matthew~

"I was reading how this woman suggested a makeup brush down there. She said it felt really good. A couple people did actually," I explained as I brought the purple-handled makeup brush onto the bed with me.

Kelly smirked. "What are you reading that you read _that_?"

I blushed. "I was just reading up on stories of what women liked in bed."

I smiled. "That was sweet of you to want to find out what feels good for me. I never heard of the makeup brush, surprisingly. Let's see how it works."

I crawled beside her, propping my head on my hand as I lay on my side, facing her. I then took the brush, and ran it over her breasts in a circular motion.

She smiled at me. "Lower."

I ran it slowly down her stomach, then ran it up and down over her belly button.

"Lower," she said looking into my eyes.

I licked my lips, my eyes still on hers as the brush met its goal.

"Ohh." She moaned, her hips instinctively going forward as she threw her head back. "That feels good."

I grinned. "It's works?" I continued to use the brush to tickle parts, I knew would have her screaming. I also moved the brush slowly up and down.

"Yes!" she said. "How did I not know about this technique before?"

I licked my lips, and moved her onto her back so I could continue to pleasure her.

She continued to moan and I continued to work her until she couldn't take it anymore. She climaxed, screaming my name as she did so.

I grinned, and let the brush fall to the floor. "Well, what do you know? It worked!"

"Ugh! Remind me to write a thank you letter to every one of those women who suggested this!" she said.

I grinned at her, then crawled up her body. "You got me so hot, moaning like that."

She smiled, then grabbed the brush from the floor. "Let's see if this works for men too, shall we?"

Before I could say anything, she pushed me down onto my back, and ran the brush slowly up the underside of my erection.

I moaned, my eyes rolling to the back of my head. "Oh yeah," I gasped. "It works."

She smirked, and continued to run the brush up and down my erection.

It didn't take long. Her circling it around the tip over and over had done the job.

I screamed her name as I came, my whole body shaking from my orgasm.

"That settles it. We're buying every kind of makeup brush there is when we get back," I said.

She smiled, and kissed up my chest to my lips. "Just so long as we don't use any of _my_ makeup brushes. There's no way I'd use that thing." She nodded towards the now disgusting brush on the floor. "By the way, you picked the right one, getting the blush brush."

I grinned. "I just got the biggest brush, figuring the bigger it was, the more pleasure it would bring. And yeah, we can just ditch that one. Some of the women said they clean theirs after, but, lucky for us, we're rich enough to just buy more," I said.

Kelly laughed. The clerk will wonder why we're buying so many makeup bushes."

"He or she will only _wish_ they knew," I said.

Kelly giggled. "If they only knew."

"They'd buy their store out," I said.

She nodded. "I think it's time for a break now. I'm hungry. I need some lunch!"

"As much as I hate to take a break from making love with you, I have to admit, I'm hungry too. Besides, after what you just did to me, I need time to refuel."

She laughed, and playfully pushed me. "You're sick!"

I laughed too. "What? All I said was refuel!"

"I know what you meant," she said, giving me a knowing look.

She headed to her suitcase and grabbed her red silk robe. She put it on and tied it, then headed over to the room service menu. She took it, then got onto the bed with me so that we could both look it over.

"I really want a cheese burger and fries," she said frankly.

I laughed. "You rarely order something like that. Did I work up your appetite for one?"

She grinned. "Yes, you did."

"Well, you worked up _my_ appetite for one too. I'll have the same. And a Coke," I said.

So, Kelly called and ordered us two cheese burgers with fries, a pink lemonade for her, and a Coke for me.

When she hung up, I turned on my side and propped myself up on my hand, facing her direction. "Whatever shall we do while we wait for our food to arrive?"

She rolled her eyes. "I thought we were supposed to be taking a break."

I laughed. "I only asked what we should do."

She smirked. "I know what you were implying."

I looked around until I found the vibrating bullet. I turned it on. "Wanna try this now?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I haven't had much time to rest, and..." She trailed off as I untied the ropes to her robe and slipped the robe off her shoulders.

"Matthew, I mean it. I'm tired and..." she protested as I gently lay her down onto her back.

"If you really don't want to, we don't have to. But just try it first, and I'll stop if you want me to." I brought the bullet to it's goal.

She moaned. I moved it in and out a little, then pressed the button to up the speed, and moved it in a slow and circular motion.

She moaned louder.

"Do you want me to stop?" I asked.

She looked into my eyes, her eyes darkened with desire. "No."

I grinned. "I didn't think you would." I pressed the button to up it to the final speed.

Her body jerked, and she screamed in pleasure.

I smiled and licked my lips as I continued to move it in a circular motion, slow at first, then gradually quickening my pace. Judging by the way her eyes rolled back, and the way her moan was drawn out, I'd have her spent in no time.

~Kelly~

I put my robe back on when I heard the knock on the door. Matthew found his bath robe and slipped that on as well.

"You really worked up and appetite for me. I'm starving now!" I said with a grin.

He grinned too, then got out of bed, headed over to the door, and opened it. He then excepted our food. He thanked and tipped the bell boy, then shut the door behind him.

I got up out of bed and sat at the table. "If we're eating cheese burgers and fries, it's best we do it on the table," I said.

Matthew got a mischievous glint in his eye, and he grinned. "I'm up for doing it on the table." He wriggled his eyebrows up and down.

I laughed. "You know what I mean."

He pouted. "Eating is less fun, but all right then. Let's eat."

He set our food out on the table, and we sat down to have a nice lunch.

The food was really good. I think it tasted even better because we were so hungry.

After lunch, we set the dirty dishes outside the door, then shut the door, and hopped back into bed.

"Now what?" Matthew asked.

I grinned, and reached over him to grab the flavored lubricants on the nightstand. "I don't know about you, but I want my dessert now. Hm... I think I'll go for the grape." I opened the lubricant package and pulled out the purple bottle.

He grinned. "Mm. I think I like where this is going."

I grinned too. "I'm sure you will."

I squeezed some grape lubricant onto my hand, then set the bottle aside and began to stroke him.

He closed his eyes and moaned. "Mm... Like that."

As I continued to stroke him, I had to hold his hips down, for he kept lifting them up. I knew I was driving him mad.

I knew he was about to lose it, so I wrapped my lips around him.

He moaned so loudly, I'm surprise he didn't lose control right then. I think he held out specifically so that he could have more of my mouth on him. I didn't mind.

I continued to work him with my lips, tongue, and sometimes teeth (gently of course), and finally, after a minute or so, he couldn't hold back any longer.

I moaned against him, not willing to release him just yet.

I let him slip from my mouth after a moment, and licked my lips as I crawled back up his body. "Mm... Tastes just like grape!" I said with a smile.

His eyes were clouded over with hunger. "It's _my_ turn now," he said, his voice husky as it always got when he was in the mood. "I think I'll pick the cherry." He grinned. "I figured I'd be appropriate." He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes, but grinned.

He took out the red bottle, and got his fingers well-lubricated. Then, he set the bottle down on the nightstand, and began to massage it into me.

I moaned. "That feels good. It's strong. I can smell the cherry from here."

He licked his lips as he continued to finger me. "Well, then, I guess I should see if it tastes as well as it smells, shouldn't I?"

I licked my lips, my eyes still locked with his. "I really think you should."

He moaned, then licked his lips right before leaning down and letting his tongue glide from the bottom to the top.

I threw my head back. "Oh my gosh!"

He was either encouraged by that, or he simply just liked the taste of the cherry. Either way he kept on licking me, his tongue seeming to probe deeper every time he licked the area, sometimes in circular motions—some slow, and some fast.

My body was trembling as if it were being forcefully shaken. His tongue felt _so_ good on me.

He moaned, and the vibrations about did me in. A flick or two more or his tongue over my clitoris, and that was it.

I was surprised I had lasted as long as I had, really.

I screamed out his name, my fingers gripping tightly to his hair as my hips jerked up.

He pressed my hips down and continued to lick me until I came again.

I screamed with ecstasy.

He licked his lips as he climbed back up my body. He smiled, and brushed his lips gently against my left ear as he purred, "I always was a man who liked seconds of my dessert. And I _really_ love cherries."

I could practically feel my eyes darken. I looked down and saw how aroused I had made him.

"I want more." I said.

Before he could respond to that, I straddled him, then slowly pushed myself down onto his erection.

He groaned loudly, and held tightly to my hips, already beginning to thrust up hard into me.

I threw my head back and moaned, my eyes closed. It wasn't going to take long for either of us, but heck, I was determined to enjoy the ride for as long as I could no matter how short the trip might be.


	15. Chapter 15

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 15: Insatiable**_

~Kelly~

I never wanted this cruise to end, because, for some reason, our sex life was even more incredible on the ship than it was at home. Not that it wasn't great at home.

Don't get me wrong. I did miss the kids, and would be _so_ happy to get back and see them and my mother, but what a ride this cruise had been. And I do mean ride. It seemed impossible to top what Matthew had just done to me, but he always topped what he did, even when I thought he couldn't possibly make me feel better than he had just made me feel. I could hardly wait to see what he was going to do next! Or should I say, feel?

~Matthew~

"Mm, as incredible as that was, I have to go to the bathroom, so we're going to have to take a break," Kelly said, getting out of bed.

I licked my lips as I watched her naked form retreat to the bathroom. "I have to go too actually."

So, she went, and then when she was done in the bathroom, I went.

When I was done, I climbed back into bed with her.

She yawned. "I'm tired. I want to take a nap."

I pouted. "Aw, come on. Just one more time. Please?"

She smiled. "Baby, I'm tired."

I ran my hands over her breasts, hoping to change her mind. "Please?"

She sighed. "One more time I guess."

I grinned. "You're not gonna regret it."

She tangled her fingers in my hair and smiled. "I know I won't. I never do with you."

My eyes lowered, and we kissed.

"I want you so bad," I said, slowly trailing my fingers down her stomach.

"Well, then do something about it," she purred.

I moaned, and straddled her.

"I'm going to give it to you so good," I murmured into her ear.

Her fingers clung tightly to my back. "Less talk, more action!"

I moaned, and entered her on the spot.

She closed her eyes. "Yes," she purred.

I held her body close to mine as I began my rhythm inside of her. I planned on making her feel even better than she had the other times today.

One of the advantages of being her husband was knowing what she liked in bed. I had memorized her body like a map, and I knew exactly what parts to hit that drove her insane with pleasure. I also knew what her sounds meant.

For instance. When she whimpered, it meant I it had potential to make her orgasm. When she moaned, I knew I had found the right spot. And when her moan was drawn out, I knew to stick with that spot. And, finally, when she screamed, well, let's just say she was either climaxing then, or just about to.

I loved listening to her moans—learning what she likes and loves. Teasing her with the thing she likes, and rewarding her with the things she loves.

I teased her for a bit just to build her climax up, and then I gave her something in between. Then, I went back to teasing her again.

"Oh, for gosh sakes just let me come!" she screamed.

I grinned. I hoped the walls weren't paper thin on this ship—otherwise our neighbors were going to get an ear full.

I moved on to the things she loves, and in no time at all I had her screaming my name as she came.

I continued to make love to her, for I hadn't gotten my release yet. Besides, I couldn't get enough of her.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. I knew how sensitive she got down there after she orgasmed. I was determined to make her come again, so I kept at it even when I felt I couldn't hold out much longer.

When she was trembling and practically screaming, I went in for the gold. There was a spot I knew would almost instantly drive her to her climax if I hit it. I didn't usually like to go for that until I was just about spent. Well, I was just about spent. So, I pulled almost all the way out of her, angled just right, and then slammed back into her, hitting said spot right on the mark.

Her body jerked and she screamed as she came.

That was all I needed. My climax was so strong.

I think the _captain_ could hear our vocalness, the way we both were screaming.

I stayed inside her, and held her as we came back down from our orgasmic highs.

We kissed, then she smiled. "All right, time for a nap."

Kissing her, and still being inside of her was making me aroused again. "Uh, uh. I want more."

"More? Baby, you said one more time. This will be two more times!" she protested.

"But I'm not done with you yet," I whined. I hit a spot I knew she loved.

Her eyes rolled back "Okay, one more time. But that's it!"

I grinned. I loved getting my way.

~Kelly~

I moaned as my eyes rolled to the back of my head. I didn't know what had gotten into my husband! He was like the Energizer bunny. He just kept going and going and going... He just would _not_ let up! I'd climax, and think he'd be done with me, but no. He still had it in him. I wondered if he had taken Viagra or something. I know it sounds silly, but really. I was surprised he could go on as long as he did! I never knew it was possible to have so many orgasms at a time. I'd have one, then he'd just build another one up—then another one! Finally, he climaxed, with me having my last one seconds before.

We were both panting, and trying to catch our breaths.

"Okay. I'm spent," he said, pulling out of me, and laying down beside me.

"Finally!" I said. I laid back and moaned. "Now I really must take a nap. I need a rest down there."

He grinned. "Don't worry. I do too. But, tonight... Well, I can't make any promises."

I grinned at him. "Give me this nap, and I won't complain." I took his face between my hands, and we kissed.

I then rested my head on his chest, and before I knew what was happening, I was waking up again.

I felt refreshed, but hungry. I looked at the clock. I had slept for two and a half hours! It was a half hour until dinner. I looked over beside me, and saw my husband lying there, watching me.

I smiled, and stroked some hair out of his eyes. "Did you just wake up too?"

He nodded. "About five minutes ago. I didn't want to wake you. You looked so peaceful."

I kissed him. "Thank you. I know you wanted to spend all day in bed and not leave the room, but, since it's our last day, I would like to eat dinner with the rest of our table. I don't want to leave without saying goodbye to Sandy and Greg either."

"I don't know if everyone at our table will fit in our bed. I know we have a king-size, but still," he teased.

I laughed. "Shut up! You know what I mean."

He kissed my forehead. "Sounds good. But, if we're going to be going out in public, I think we had better shower first. After all that lovemaking we did, we must stink."

I nodded. "Good idea." I sat up and stretched.

"Since there's only a half hour until dinner, we better shower together to save time," he said.

I smirked. "All right, but behave. We're taking the shower to get clean—not get dirty again."

He grinned. "I _always_ behave!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right!"

Surprisingly, he behaved during our shower. Though, he did kiss, lick and suck at my breasts and neck. Not that I minded. I did the same to his neck, so I can't say anything bad about it.

After our shower, we dried, then dressed for dinner. Then, we headed down to the table.

Dinner was good, as was dessert.

Sandy and Greg invited us to go to the piano bar with them after dessert, so we agreed. We figured we'd at least do one thing with them since it would be the last time we'd see them for a while. We did exchange email and home addresses, as well as phone numbers, so we did plan to keep in touch.

After dessert, we said goodbye to the rest of the people at our table, then Matthew asked if we could wait while he talked to Annalisse in private for a moment. Matthew had told me about how Annalisse told him off for the way he treated me, and how she was on my side, so I wasn't worried this time.

"I want to talk to her first," I said. "I want to apologize for the way I acted toward her," I added when he looked at me funny.

He nodded, then I went over to Annalisse.

I placed my hand over her shoulder. "I just wanted to apologize for being so jealous around you, and for being kind of a bitch to you. I heard how you told Matthew off for treating me badly. I just want to thank you for that."

Annalisse smiled. "Don't even mention it. I'd have acted the same way toward me if I were in your shoes."

We hugged. It felt weird, but surprisingly nice at the same time.

"Here." She slipped me her number and email address. "Maybe we can get together sometime to shop. You have some great style, and I'm always up for traveling."

I laughed. "Sounds like a plan! You have great style too. I think we'll get along just fine." I wrote down my information for her, and then, after one more hug goodbye, I left her, and sent Matthew over. I was glad I had made a new friend, and I was closer than ever to my husband. This cruise had turned out to be great after all.

~Matthew~

"Annalisse, I'm embarrassed to even look at you after the awful thing I said to you. Can you ever forgive me?" I asked. "No man likes to hear they're being a jack ass, but sometimes they need to hear it." I told her.

She smirked. "You got rejected by Tiffany, huh?"

"Big time." I said. I quickly told her what had happened with Tiffany and her grandfather.

Annalisse laughed. "It serves you right!"

I nodded. "Yes, it did."

She hugged me. "I gave your wife my info, and she gave me hers and yours, so we'll keep in touch."

I smiled. "I'd like that. Goodbye, Annalisse."

"Till we meet again!" she said.

I nodded. "Till we meet again."

"Oh, and for the record, the bartender and I just made out in my room. We didn't have sex. I'm not a _total_ slut you know." She winked.

I laughed. "I know you're not." I waved to her and she waved back.

Then, I turned and caught up with my wife and our friends. I put my arm around Kelly, and she put her arm around me.

Kelly smiled at me. "Everything turn out good?"

I nodded, then kissed the top of her head. "Perfectly."

She smiled even bigger. "Good. I'm glad."

We kissed, then headed off to the piano bar with our friends.

We had a couple of drinks, and talked with Greg and Sandy while we enjoyed the piano music. Then, Greg and Sandy wanted to see a show, but Kelly and I wanted to do other things, so we bid farewell to our friends, and promised to meet again.

"So, where should we go?" I asked my wife as we left the piano bar hand-in-hand.

She grinned. "How about we go swimming before the pools close? I think it would be nice to have a nighttime swim."

I agreed. So, we headed up to our room, got our suits on, then headed to the pool.

"I want to try the water slide with you, since the first time didn't work out so well," she said.

I blushed at the memory. "All right. I have an idea. Why don't you sit in front of me with my legs around you? That way, we'll come down together, and I can keep you above water," I told her.

She smiled, and gently stroked my cheek. "Sounds like a plan!"

So, we climbed up the stairs to the water slide. She sat down, and I sat down behind her, my legs at her sides. I don't think we were really supposed to go down that way, but there was no one there to stop us, so...

"Ready?" I asked.

She nodded. "As I'll ever be!"

"All right. On the count of three." I wrapped my arms around her waist. "One. Two. Three!"

She pushed herself down the slide, and we went whipping three floors down that thing! The wind rushed through our hair. It seemed we went down even faster together. It was incredible!

When we landed, we were both laughing hysterically. We were able to keep the other from going under.

"That was awesome!" I said.

"Mm, it was, but not as awesome as this," she said before taking my face between her hands and kissing me deeply.

I moaned, and kissed her hungrily back. It was so romantic, kissing in the water with the stars shining above us. There was no one else in the pool. It was the perfect moment.

We kissed a little bit more, then swam a little. Then, we did the water slide one more time, laughing again. It was so much fun, and neither of us fell below the water, so Kelly was happy about _that_!

The hot tubs were closed already, so we went back to our room, got dressed, and headed to the ship's club.

We just wanted to dance for a short while. We danced to an up-tempo song, Taio Cruz's "Dynamite." I twirled her and even flipped her.

We were both laughing, and having such a blast! I honestly felt like a kid again.

After that, we slowed it down a bit with a slow dance to Shontelle's "Impossible." We held each other close. Kelly rested her head on my shoulder as we danced—that is when we weren't kissing.

After "Impossible," we headed to the karaoke bar. We came to just listen to the amateur singing, then Kelly suggested to me that I sing a song since I was a singer.

"Only if you sing with me. We'll do a duet!" I told her.

She blushed. "Oh, I don't know. I'm not a good singer."

"You'll sound beautiful to me," I told her.

"I'm not so sure about that," she said.

I kissed her. "Please?"

She smiled at me. "Okay."

I realized I had never heard her sing before. You would think I had, as long as I'd been with her, but I hadn't.

So, we went up to the songbook, chose a song, then signed up.

When it was our turn to sing, she was nervous.

"I'm nervous. I don't know if I can do this! She said.

"Hey. Chances are, you'll never see these people again. Even if you do, you couldn't possibly be as bad as that sick cow that sang before us," I said regarding the woman before us whose singing sounded like a sick cow.

Kelly playfully swatted me. "Sh! She'll here you!"

"It's too loud in here for her to hear me. Besides, she's all the way over there at the bar." I nodded toward the bar.

We got up to the microphones, and the music began to play. We then sang the song we had chosen, which was "I Got You Babe" by Sony and Cher. Kelly wasn't the best singer in the world, but she wasn't nearly as bad as she made herself out to be!

A lot of people cheered for us after, and we didn't get any boos, so that had to be a good sign.

We thanked our fans, then bowed, and ran out of the bar hand-in-hand, laughing.

"I can't believe we just did that! What a rush it was!" Kelly said, smiling happily.

I laughed. "I know, right? Wanna go play mini golf? I think it's still open."

She laughed too. "Sure, why not?"

We ran to the elevators hand-in-hand like excited little kids.

Being with Kelly made me feel alive again. I loved her even more for it.

~Kelly~

I still couldn't get over the fact that I had sung in public for the first time. What a rush! I wasn't sure I wanted to do it again, but it was definitely worth doing the first time.

Mini golf had been a blast. I knew the kids would have loved it. Well, Lily might have been too young, but the others would have. I won the game, which made it even better.

I did a little victory dance, swaying my hips back and forth. That caused Matthew to pull me in for a victory kiss. At least he was a good loser.

After that, we decided to see a movie under the stars. They had a movie theater out doors on the Sky deck. We got front row seats. The front only had two seats, and we got them. Usually the front wasn't any good when it came to a theater, but, since this was out doors and the screen was further way, it was fine. The chairs were big and comfortable too. It was an old movie—_Dear John_—but it was romantic, so neither one of us minded.

After the movie, we went for a moonlit stroll along the deck, hand-in-hand under the stars. We kissed for a while under the moonlight. It was a beautiful moment.

After _that_ we headed to our room.

"Hey. We never got to use the hot tub," Matthew said, looking at the hot tub we had in our room.

I smiled. "Until now. I rested my arms over his shoulders. "We don't even need swimming suits in this one."

His eyes darkened. "I'll run the water."

We grinned, then kissed.

He then ran the water, and we both stripped down to nothing.

When the tub was full, he turned off the water, and turned on the jets. Then, we got into the hot tub.

We relaxed in the water for a short bit, talking about how good it would be to see our children soon.

Then, we started kissing. Then, we ended up making love in the hot tub with him sitting down and me sitting on his lap as I rode him.

It was incredible. I don't think had ever had so much incredible sex in my life. I was going to have to tone it down for my mother. Even _I_ didn't think she needed to know _everything_ Matthew and I had done today.

Afterwards, I was exhausted. Matthew looked pretty exhausted too. He kissed me, then picked me up, and carried me to bed. I put on some clean underwear and my pink silk nightie.

He drained the water from the tub, put on a pair of clean boxers, then turned off the lights and climbed underneath the covers with me.

We held each other in each other's arms for a while and kissed. Then, I slowly drifted off to sleep, my head resting in the crook between his arm and shoulder, and his head resting on mine.

~Matthew~

I stroked Kelly's hair as she fell asleep, then kissed the top of her head. She was so beautiful. I still couldn't believe how incredibly lucky I was to have her. Thank God I realized what an ass I had been to take her for granted. Well, I was never going to take her for granted again. No. In fact, I was going to spend the rest of my life making her as happy as she made me. I fell asleep with that thought in my head.


	16. Chapter 16

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Chapter 16: Cruisin' Together**_

~Matthew~

I woke up to the sunlight streaming through the window. I groaned. Today was the day we headed home. It seemed we had just gotten onto the ship! Now, already, we had to head home. I just wished we hadn't spent so much of our trip arguing. I guessed all that really mattered was that we had made up, and were stronger than ever before.

I turned on my side to see that Kelly was still sleeping. I brushed some hair out of her eyes and gently kissed her lips. She was even more beautiful when she slept, if that were possible.

The captain's voice came over the loudspeaker just then, and once again, I wanted to smash the intercom to bits. It shouldn't be mandatory to have to hear the announcements in your room unless it was an emergency call. The least they could do is not announce things so early in the morning. Though, today I guessed I could see since why they were giving instructions on how to get ready to disembark.

Kelly's eyes fluttered open. She sighed, then sat up and stretched. "I wish we didn't have to go home. Though I do miss the kids. It will be nice to get back to them and my mother." She turned to me and smiled. "Good morning by the way."

I smiled, and gently took her face between my hands. "Good morning." I kissed her.

She moaned into the kiss, taking my face between her hands as well as she kissed me in return.

I lay her back down on the bed, my hand lingering down her jaw then neck.

She smiled. "We can't do this. Some people are already disembarking. Plus, they are still serving breakfast for another hour. I want time to eat before we leave. I'm starving!"

"Can't we just get something at the airport?" I asked with a groan.

"I want to eat breakfast on the ship! Come on. It will be our last chance," she said, giving me the pleading look that she knew darn well I could never say no to.

I groaned. "All right, fine."

"We still have time to put our luggage out so that we don't have to carry it all the way down to baggage claim," she said.

"We should have packed last night. Let's pack quick so we can still get down to breakfast," I said.

Kelly nodded, and we quickly packed our things, remembering to leave the day's outfits out.

Once we were packed, we set our luggage outside of our door to be picked up. Then, we used the bathroom before quickly taking a shower together. It wasn't a very _fun_ shower though, for Kelly insisted on behaving even though we shared one.

After we were showered, dried, and dressed, we headed down for a quick breakfast.

It was just eggs, bacon, and toast with orange juice, but it was fine. It did the job of satisfying our hunger.

Once we were done with our breakfast, we said goodbye to our server, thanking him for his service to us during the trip. Then, we headed back to our room and made sure we had everything before going to our designated disembarking place.

As we were waiting in line to get off the ship, that surfer dude that tried to hit on Kelly walked by.

I instantly felt my anger surge as he saw us and stopped to face us.

I clenched my fists. It looked like I had one last piece of business to attend to before the trip ended, for something was definitely about to go down. Surfer dude _more_ than had it coming to him.

~Kelly~

"Move along, Chad, if you know what's good for you," I said coldly. I could already see Matthew tensing, and right now, I just didn't want to have to deal with any of it. I just wanted to get back to my kids and my mother, and enjoy the comfort of my own home again.

Chad held up his hands as if in defense. He was going to need more than his hands to defend himself if he didn't leave now.

"Kelly, please. Hear me out. I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm just here to apologize for the inexcusable way I treated you, and the even more inexcusable things I said to you and called you." He turned to Matthew. "I owe _you_ an apology as well—a big one, obviously."

Matthew still looked angry, but his fists unclenched. I figured he had calmed enough for me to hear Chad out. I was curious as to what Chad had to say, if nothing else.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well, you got _that_ right at least. You do owe us both a _big_ apology."

He nodded. "I know it's no excuse, but I had way too much to drink that night. My friends had partied in Jamaica, well, I had my own private party with myself on the ship. When you came along, I had already had three alcoholic drinks. I wasn't in my right mind."

"A likely excuse!" Matthew grumbled.

Chad glanced at him. "I know, it's a pathetic excuse, and, like I said, what I did was inexcusable, but it is what it is. I had a little bit too much to drink, and I ended up acting like an ass. Plus, even though she is married, I kind of have a crush on Kelly. I haven't had much luck with girls, so when an older woman came along... Well, let's just say I thought that maybe an older woman would be more mature than the girls I've dated in the past. I knew she was married, but when I heard you two kept fighting, I took that as my opportunity to move in. It was stupid, I realize that now. I guess I have some growing up of my own to do still. The problem all along was with _me_—not my past girlfriends." He turned to me. "I'm so sorry, Kelly, for everything I said and did." He turned to Matthew. "Matthew, I apologize for trying to steal your wife from you, and for trying to fill her head with doubts and lies about you."

"Just get out of my face now, and I won't pound your face in," Matthew said simply. Crossing his arms over his chest like I had with mine.

I smirked. I did love how my husband was protective, jealous, and possessive of me. He always had just the right amount without it being creepy.

"I forgive you, Chad, but I do think it's a good idea for you to just go now," I said to Chad.

Chad nodded. "I'm sorry," he said again, holding his hands up in defense again as well. With that, he turned on his heel and left.

Matthew took me into his arms, and kissed the top of my head. "Are you okay?" he asked me.

I nodded, and snuggled against his chest. I smiled up at him. "I am now."

He smiled weakly, then kissed my lips. He then gently rubbed my back as I rested my head on his chest again.

As his arms tightened around me, I felt safe. For once in my life, I had chosen the right guy, and it felt darned good.

~Matthew~

I wasn't thrilled we had had to talk with Chad, but at least he had apologized. Even so, if I ever saw him again, it would be too soon. I also don't think I could hold myself back next time.

"What was our room number again?" Kelly asked me. "I want to write it down on our keycard so I never forget our room number, and so I can put the card in my scrapbook."

I smirked. "I left _my_ keycard in the room. I don't think they're meant to take home."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "They're not going to miss one keycard. I'm sure I'm not the first person to take home a keycard—or the last. Now, what was our number again?" She posed her mini black sharpie above her keycard.

"Seven-two-nine-seven," I told her.

She wrote it down, then recapped her sharpie and shoved it back into her purse with the keycard. Then, she zipped her purse, and smiled up at me. "Thank you, Darling."

"You're welcome, Baby," I said with a smile in return.

We kissed.

"Can I borrow your husband when you're done with him?" a lady next to us joked.

"Excuse me?" Kelly asked, looking toward the sound of the voice.

I looked too, and saw a lady who looked slightly older than Kelly with shoulder-length, curly blonde hair and green eyes smirking at us. She was wearing a floral print blouse, navy dress pants, and gold beaded sandals. She was pretty enough for an older woman.

"The way you were screaming in pleasure all day and night yesterday, he must be a tiger in bed," the lady said bluntly.

I saw Kelly's cheeks flush right before my eyes. It reminded me of the scene we had in _Gossip Girl_ a couple years back where Eric complained to Lily and Rufus that they had been too loud the night before.

The lady grinned knowingly. "There's no need to be embarrassed. In fact, you should be proud! All the men I've ever been with—including my late husband, God rest his soul—have been in and out kind of guys. We were always done within ten seconds. Or, rather, _he_ was done anyway."

Kelly blushed even more red, and covered her mouth.

The lady continued, paying no attention to the fact that Kelly was obviously beyond embarrassed. "I have the room across from yours, and I could hear you screaming in ecstasy—both of you, actually." The lady laughed to herself. "Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if the whole floor plus the floors above and below could hear you two." She turned to me, and gently elbowed me. "So, what do ya say? Wanna give me some of that?" She was clearly joking, so I decided to joke back with her.

I grinned, and nodded at the lady. "Sure! Why not? We probably have time for a quickie. I'm _that_ good that I can make you scream like she did within _minutes_." I motioned to my wife, then turned to face her. "You don't mind, do you, honey? I'll be back in fifteen minutes, tops!"

The lady chuckled, but Kelly crossed her arms over her chest, looking not quite as amused.

"Uh, oh!" the lady said, noticing Kelly's lack of seeing the humor in it. "Looks like no one's gonna be screaming in ecstasy _tonight_. Unless, you make up. In that case, I'd hate to be within a _mile_ of you guys if I want to get any sleep! Then again, it _was_ kind of a turn on, hearing you guys go at it like that." She wriggled her eyebrows up and down and grinned, her hands rubbing together like a super villain's.

Kelly smirked, relieving me a bit. I hadn't wanted to have to have another fight. Not that I would let it get that far. Even so, I hated having my wife upset with me. It seemed she was too often nowadays.

"Sorry, but he's all mine." She pulled me close to her by the arm. "However, I can give you a few tips to pass on to your next lover."

The lady's whole face lit up. "Do tell, please."

Kelly whispered in the lady's ear for a good minute, the smile on the lady's face growing wider by the second. Needless to say, by the time Kelly was done whispering to her, the lady's face was lit up like a Christmas tree.

The lady rubbed her hands together a la super villain again. "Interesting. Very interesting indeed. I am most certainly going to have to bring those things to my next lover's attention. Now if I can only find a single, available lover..." She looked around.

Kelly suddenly got that look on her face that she always got when she felt like being playful. "Actually, I don't know if you like younger men or not, but you see that guy right over there?" She pointed over to Chad, who was standing a few feet away, looking down at a pamphlet.

The lady looked over and nodded. "The cutie over there with the blonde hair?"

Kelly nodded. "I know for a fact that he's into older woman. He's looking for a new lover himself actually. You should go on over and say hello to him." She winked.

The lady smiled shyly at Kelly. "You really think I should?"

Kelly nodded. "Oh, I think you _definitely_ should." She placed her hands overtop of the lady's shoulders and gently coaxed her toward Chad.

"I think I will! Thanks for pointing him out to me," the lady said before heading on over to Chad.

"Anytime," Kelly said with a smirk.

"Oh my gosh, I cannot believe you just did that!" I said with a laugh.

"Sh! Watch!" Kelly said, pointing to the lady.

We watched as the lady tapped Chad on the shoulder.

Chad looked up at her.

After a moment of the lady telling him something, he smiled, revealing a dimple in his right cheek.

"It looks like they are getting along. Look at that! My wife the matchmaker," I said, pulling Kelly close and kissing her cheek.

She smiled at me. "I actually thought he'd get annoyed by her. I wanted to pay him back. Oh well. Maybe he isn't such a bad guy once he's sober."

"Yeah, well, he still better stay the hell away from you," I said, pulling my wife closer protectively. "So, did you tell her about the things we used?" I asked, nodding toward the lady, who was now clearly flirting with Chad, who was smiling at her, his hand overtop of her shoulder.

Kelly nodded. "Mm hmmm! I figured, why not let her feel as good as you made _me_ feel? Only, she'll have to get someone other than you to help her with it. But, now that she's got all the right tools..."

I cleared my throat. "Except for mine."

Kelly laughed. "Except for yours. At least you flirted with an _older_ woman this time instead of one young enough to be your daughter."

I blushed, not knowing what to say to that. I didn't have to worry for long.

We kissed, then the line moved, so we moved ahead—kind of like what our relationship was doing. Moving ahead. I liked it.

Now, if we could move one more step and have another baby, my life would be complete.

~Kelly~

"It feels good to sit down and not have to lug all that luggage around," I said as I rested my head against the window in the plane.

Matthew nodded. "We'll have to lug it to the taxi, and then into the house though."

"And then we're going to have to put it all away," I said with a groan. "At least the taxi driver will load and unload it for us into the trunk and out."

Matthew nodded.

I looked at my magazine for a bit, only half aware of my husband checking out the good looking, busty brunette stewardess. It was annoying, but I didn't want to be a nag. I knew he was only looking.

The plane took off after ten minutes of sitting there on the runway. I would be glad to be home. It was only a three hour, nonstop flight, so it wasn't _too_ bad, thankfully.

As the stewardess headed down the aisles to take drink orders and hand out nuts, my husband turned to me with a smirk on his face. "Hey, do you think she has any _chest_nuts?"

I couldn't help but smile at that one. I rolled my eyes even so. "You're such a dork. And a pervert."

He laughed. "What? I just like my nuts!"

"I do too," I quipped.

He laughed so hard he snorted, which of course made me laugh too.

In fact, we were both laughing when the stewardess came to take our orders.

"Peanuts?" she asked.

This made Matthew and I laugh so hard, we both had tears running down our cheeks.

"I'm sorry! Yes, please. I'll also have a Coke please," I said.

"Same here," Matthew managed to get out.

The stewardess gave us a weird look, but gave us both a bag of peanuts. "Then, she gave us two cups of ice and two cans of Coke.

We thanked her, then she wheeled her cart down to the people behind us.

"Poor girl. She probably thinks we were laughing at _her_," I said.

"Yeah. She probably thinks _we're_ nuts!" Matthew quipped, crossing his eyes as he did so.

I laughed. "Don't get me started again."

We opened our peanut bags and Cokes, then ate and drank in silence for a moment.

I finished my peanuts before Matthew finished his. He noticed, and held his bag out to me. "Want some of my nuts?" He had a hint of amusement in his voice.

I hid a smile. "No thanks. They'll fill me up too much."

His eyes darkened a bit, and he brushed his lips against my left ear. "Since when is that a problem?"

I smiled at him, then quickly kissed his lips. "They'll be coming around for our lunch order in a bit."

He shrugged, then ate the rest of his peanuts.

After a bit, the stewardess asked if we would like turkey and cheese sandwiches with chips for lunch, or egg salad sandwiches with chips.

Matthew and I both chose the turkey and cheese.

I went back to my magazine as we waited for our food to arrive. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matthew eyeing the stewardess again as she reached above to an overhead compartment.

"You know, you could make it a little less obvious when you're sitting right next to me," I said, not looking up.

He looked over at me. "What?" As if he were innocent.

I looked at him and rolled my eyes. "Really? You're really gonna play that game?"

He blushed. "You saw?"

"How could I not?" I shook my head in distaste. "I know you mean nothing by it, but I don't know if I'll ever get used to you checking other women out. Its as if you're not satisfied with what you have, or rather _who_ you have."

"I'm sorry. I'm only looking. I am a man. We're pigs sometimes. It's in our nature." He stroked my hair and then my cheek. "You're still the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on." His hands lingered to my breasts and he gently squeezed them. And these are the perfect size."

I blushed, and gently pushed his hands away, hoping no one saw that. "You're forgiven. Just don't do that in public again."

He grinned. "Maybe we should head into the bathroom then," he purred in my ear.

Before I could respond, our sandwiches arrived. "Sorry. Time to eat!" I said with a shrug as the stewardess handed us our sandwiches and two more cans of Coke.

Matthew made an annoyed face at me, then took his meal and thanked the stewardess.

I smirked, then took my meal and thanked the stewardess as well.

After our lunch, the stewardess took our trash, then walked out of sight again.

"So, what do you say?" Matthew asked me once she was gone.

I glanced over at him from my magazine. "About what?"

He brushed his lips against my ear again. "About heading to the bathroom for a little fun." He ran his hand up my thigh. "I checked. The bathroom is unoccupied."

I glanced at him and smirked. "I still don't think so. We discussed this on the way to Miami. Even in first class, the bathrooms are small. It would be too uncomfortable and far too nervy."

"Aw, come on! Where's your sense of adventure? We won't get caught. And, I can make it anything but uncomfortable for you. I assure you." He kissed up the side of my neck, before his lips brushed against my ear yet again. "I'll make you feel good." He kissed my neck again. "I promise."

I couldn't help but moan a little at this. I contemplated for just a moment, then turned back to my magazine. "No. We can't. It's too risky. I wouldn't be able to enjoy it."

"I'd see to it that you would," he tried.

I glanced at him quickly. "Matthew, _no_," I said firmly.

I turned my attention back to my magazine.

As I turned the pages, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Matthew pouting in his seat.

I glanced over at him. His arms were crossed over his chest as well. He didn't look angry; just disappointed.

I sighed. I couldn't stand to let him down. I set my magazine down, then stood up. "Let's make this quick."

He grinned up at me. "I can do that!"

He quickly stood up, then headed to the bathrooms.

I looked around and made sure no one was paying attention to us. When I was sure they weren't, I followed behind, hoping that I didn't regret this.

"You're still smiling," I said to my husband with a smile of my own as we got off the plane an hour and a half later.

He grinned. "How could I _not_ be? I'm finally part of the mile-high club, and I joined it with the most beautiful girl in the world."

I stopped him and kissed him, my hands on each side of his face. "I love you."

He nuzzled his nose against mine, his eyes lowered. "I love you too—more than you could ever imagine."

We kissed some more. It hadn't been so bad to make love on a plane. We were quick—just five minutes, but it was five _incredible_ minutes. He had taken me against the empty wall, so it wasn't too bad. I had wrapped my legs around his waist and he had half lifted me, half let the wall support my weight. He had covered my mouth with his hand to muffle my screams of pleasure, and I had done the same for him. I felt refreshed and relaxed the rest of the trip back, as he assured me he did too. I had gotten paranoid though as we headed back down the aisle and I saw a few pairs of eyes watching us, along with some smiling lips. I had a feeling people knew what we had just done. Oh well, it wasn't the first time.

We gathered our luggage from the carousel, then got a taxi. The driver loaded the trunk, then opened the door for us.

Fifteen minutes later, we were home.

Matthew paid and tipped the driver after the driver unloaded our bags.

Then the driver left, leaving Matthew and I on our lawn with our suitcases.

We held hands, and smiled at each other.

"You ready?" he asked me.

I grinned and nodded. "_So_ ready!" As much as I had enjoyed my time with my husband on the cruise, I was more than ready to be home and see my kids and mother.

We headed up the walkway, and Matthew opened the door. Then, he set our bags down, and carried me over the threshold.

I laughed. "My husband the romantic," I said, nuzzling my nose against his, then kissing him.

"Daddy, Mommy!"

Matthew and I both grinned as our daughter appeared from the living room.

Matthew set me down, and Lily came running over to us. She fell on her tush right before she got to us, but Matthew quickly swept her up and kissed her before she could cry.

"Look at _you_!" he said, smiling widely. "You can run now, and call out _both_ of our names? My baby girl is getting so big!"

"They grow up too fast," I said, getting teary-eyed.

We double teamed her, and each took one of her chubby cheeks and kissed them.

Lily smiled.

"Daddy missed you so much!" Matthew told her.

"As did Mommy," I added.

Lily smiled again.

"Daddy!" Aven said, running into the room then just as Helena said, "Mommy!" and ran into the room as well.

Aven ran over to Matthew, and he scooped her up with his free arm.

I scooped up Helena.

My mother came into the room with a smile. "Naama dropped Aven off an hour ago so that you could see her when you got home. She said Aven can stay the night. I had called and asked her, and she was very sweet about it."

"Thank you, Ann. I appreciate that!" Matthew said with a polite nod and a smile at my mother.

My mother smiled back. "Don't mention it."

"Hey, Mommy! Hey, Daddy!" Hermés said, coming into the room just then. "I missed you. What did you buy us?"

Matthew and I both laughed.

"Well, _that_ was short and too the point!" I teased with a smile. "We'll show you."

Matthew and I gently set our girls down, then went to our bags to find the gifts, with our smiling kids crowding around us.

I smiled too, and sighed a content sigh. It was good to be back!

~Matthew~

The kids and Ann all loved their gifts, and Ann assured us that her boyfriend would love his gifts as well.

We all went to dinner after that, where we told Ann and the kids all about our trip. Of course we left out the stuff that wasn't appropriate for kids to hear until the kids weren't paying attention. As for our sex evening, I was saving that for Kelly to tell when she was alone with her mother of course.

After dinner, I helped Kelly get our kids ready for bed, then Kelly read them each a story and I sung them each a lullaby.

For a few minutes, I just watched our children sleep. I kissed their cheeks, careful not to wake them. It felt good to be home with them. I had missed them more than I had realized.

I headed in for a shower then, and Kelly stayed down and talked with her mom for a bit. I was sure she was telling her all the things we didn't get to tell her at dinner—including about the sex night of course.

After my shower, I got ready for bed, then Kelly came up to bed a half hour later. Her mother was going to be going back to LA the next day.

I took Kelly into my arms and kissed her. "Don't worry. We'll plan a trip to LA soon to visit," I told her, knowing that she was going to miss her mother.

Kelly smiled, and snuggled into my arms. "You always know just the right thing to say.

"It's because you're my wife, and I love you," I told her.

Her eyes lowered. "I love you too."

We kissed some more, and ended up making love. The spare bedroom where Ann was staying was downstairs anyway, so we didn't have to worry about her hearing us.

I loved my wife _so_ much. I was glad the whole cruise drama was over with. In fact, right then, as I made love to my beautiful wife, I couldn't help but think that being with her right then, and knowing she was mine for the rest of our lives, was better than any cruise or vacation we could ever take.

~Kelly~

As I lay in my husband's arms after our lovemaking, both of us just about out for the night, I couldn't help but smile, and sigh in contentment.

I rested my head and hand on Matthew's chest, and kissed his chest as well. Right here with my husband, and our kids in their rooms down the hall (my mother in her's downstairs), it was practically Heaven on earth. I didn't know what I had done to be so blessed by God, but I was. At least I must be doing _something_ right, I figured.

I kissed Matthew's chest again, then closed my eyes, letting sleep overtake me. I fell asleep with a smile on my face and a song in my heart, for I had never been more content in my life.


	17. Epilogue

_I am finally finished with this story. I'm not sure what I'm gonna write next, but hopefully it will come to me soon. :) _

_I want to thank all of you who stood by me even through the lies that were spread about me. Neddi, Juliette, Kate, Kaylee, and anyone else that I might be forgetting. I love you guys. Thank you for your faithful reviews. Even if you just read this whole story but didn't comment, thank you! You guys rock, and I love you all for being my friend/fan. I hope you all enjoy the final chapter of this story. Long live Matthew and Kelly 3 Xoxo, Rufly Girl/MK Girl ;)_

_**When I Look at You**_

_**Epilogue: When I Look at You**_

~Kelly~

We had been back for a week, but it seemed like just yesterday we were on the sky deck enjoying our drinks. I missed being on the ship. It was nice to be home, but now that I had been home for a week, I was eager to go on vacation again. I had gotten so used to the tropical atmosphere, then I had to come back to New York's winter weather. I had mentioned that briefly to Matthew, and hadn't thought much of it as I complained to him. However, he took it to heart, for the very next weekend, he had a surprise for me.

My mother, her boyfriend Gary, and my brother, were down for Christmas since Matthew had wanted to stay in New York to be with Aven of course.

We all had enjoyable Christmas morning. The kids all adored their toys and stuffed animals. They even enjoyed the clothing we all got them.

My mother enjoyed her designer cashmere sweater Matthew and I bought her as well as her Christian Louboutin pumps. My brother loved his Armani suit we bought him, and Gary of course loved his Rolex we bought him.

Matthew got three generous gift certificates to his three favorite stores from my mother, brother, and Gary, and a beautiful blue Hermés sweater from the kids. Yes, I had bought a gift from the kids to Matthew, and he had bought me a gift from the kids for me as well. We had agreed to bring the kids along with us and have them pick out something together that they would like their daddy or mommy to have. I also had the kids each draw Matthew a picture. I got the pictures framed. He loved them!

I got the newest handbag from Hermés (the store) from the kids (including Aven). Matthew had also been sweet enough to get a professional photo of them framed. It was the sweetest picture ever. My heart just melted. Even or dog Oliver was in the picture. I loved it! I also got a gift certificate to Hermés from my brother, a gift certificate to Alice & Olivia from my wonderful husband, and a more than generous gift certificate to Christian Louboutin from my mother and Gary.

For Oliver, well, we got him a designer doggy bed, lots of toys, and some organic dog treats.

That wasn't the last of the surprises, however. The first was when my mother announced that she and Gary would be getting married in the summer. My brother and I were so happy for her!

The second surprise was from Matthew. "I know we just got back from a vacation not that long ago, but you said you were ready to go on another vacation, and you said you wanted warmer weather, so your mother, brother, and Gary have agreed to stay here for a little while longer so that we can spend the weekend in the Bahamas. We'll leave on Friday and come back on New Years morning. That way, we can still spend New Years with the kids and our family."

I smiled. "Really? What if we can't get a flight on New Years?"

"It's already taken care of." Matthew handed me two round-trip plane tickets to the Bahamas. Sure enough, we were set to take off early Friday morning and leave early Sunday morning. "So, what do you think?" he asked me with a grin.

I grinned back. "I think I have the best husband in the world."

"And _I_ have the best _wife_ in the world," he said.

I kissed him for that. I could hardly wait to show him my appreciation this weekend!

~Matthew~

"This is so sweet of you. We just came back, and you're still willing to go away with me again," Kelly said as we unpacked in our hotel room.

I walked over to her and gently stroked her cheek. "Well, we had off until after the New Year anyway. Besides, you know I'd go anywhere for you, and do anything for you that would make you happy."

She took my face between my hands, and kissed me passionately. "I love you _so_ much. You know that, don't you?"

I lowered my eyes, and stroked her cheek again. "And I love _you_."

We kissed some more.

"So," she asked after a few more moments of kissing, "what should we do?"

I grinned. "Well, for now, I can think of something I'd like to do with you." I backed her to the bed.

She smiled. "That's what you _always_ want to do."

"Well, if you don't want to, we can always go bowling or something," I teased.

She grinned, then pulled me down onto the bed with her. "Shut up and—"

I cut her off with a kiss, which she sighed into as I got onto the bed to show her how much I loved her.

The first day of our trip had been wonderful. We went to the beach, and had lunch on the beach at a little cafe. It reminded us both of The Cayman Islands.

We spent the rest of the night in bed after dinner. Since we only had a day and a half in the Bahamas, I knew we should probably enjoy the sites instead of staying inside, doing something we always did. But, when my wife came out in nothing but a pink corset with matching panties, complete with black thigh-high stockings attached by black garters and in pink high heels, there was no way I _wasn't_ going to keep her in bed. She was practically asking for it. I can say that without sounding like a pig, because she actually _was_ asking for it.

"You like?" she had purred while crawling over my body in bed.

"I think my body language says it all, if you know what I mean," I said with a smirk.

She smirked, and ran her hands over my chest. Then, she brought her lips to my neck and began kissing down it. "I just thought I'd show you my appreciation for taking me on this trip."

I shivered, my fingers running slowly up and down her back. "You don't have to thank me. I was happy to do it."

"Which is exactly why I want to thank you," she said. She took my left hand and placed it over her right breast. "You do want me, don't you?"

I responded by pinning her below me in one swift motion. I was going to show her exactly how _much_ I wanted her.

The grin on her face had told me that that was exactly what she wanted.

I wasn't one to complain, so I had no choice but to give in to her. It wasn't exactly the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

~Kelly~

Friday had gone by fast, and so had Saturday. Matthew and I had had a wonderful time in the Bahamas, and it was kind of sad we'd have to catch a flight home the next morning already. It was all right though. I was blessed to have had two vacations, even if the second one was short. It was better than nothing. Besides, it would be good to spend New Years with my mother, brother, soon to be stepfather, and my children. And of course, my wonderful husband. I still wasn't sure what I did to become so blessed. Matthew and my children were the best thing that ever happened to me.

It was seven in the evening, and we still hadn't had dinner yet. I was starving. "Where should we eat?" I asked my husband as we left the hotel room.

He grinned. "It's a surprise. Once we get in the cab, I'm going to have to blind fold you." He placed his hand over my lower back and led me into the elevator.

"You can't be serious," I said.

"Oh, I'm dead serious. You can't see where we are until I'm ready for you to see it," he insisted.

I didn't know what to say to that, so I didn't say anything.

Once we got down the elevator and outside, I saw that a cab was already waiting for us.

"Stay here for a moment. I'll be right back," Matthew said to me before heading over to the cab driver and talking to him about something.

I watched, wondering what he was telling him.

Matthew came back to me then, and helped me into the cab. Then, he took a purple silk blindfold and tied it over my eyes.

"Come on, really?" I complained.

I felt Matthew kiss my cheek. "It will all be worth it. I promise you."

I heard my door close, and soon after, I heard his door open and close.

"I'm going to put these on you until we get there," Matthew said.

"Huh?" I asked, then realized he meant his earbuds as I felt them being slipped into my ears. Seconds later, I heard "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. I smiled to myself. He must have chosen a tropical theme to go with our destination.

I couldn't hear anything but the music the whole way to wherever it was we were going. I wasn't quite sure I liked being blind and deaf (so to speak). I was tempted to pull the blindfold down a bit, or at least pull out one of the earbuds, but I decided not to. My husband had this nice thing planned for me, and I didn't want to ruin it for him.

It didn't matter too much. After some Bob Marley "One Love," and Harry Belafonte "Day O," we arrived at our destination.

I had to wait for Matthew to pay the cab driver and tip him, then Matthew got out of the car, finally taking my headphones off, and helping me out of the car.

"You might want to take your shoes off now," he said to me after he had walked me a few feet forward.

"Why?" I asked, eager to find out where he had decided to take me.

"Just trust me. You'll be glad you did," he said gently.

I held onto him as I slipped off my sandals. I then held onto them with my free hand as he linked his arm with mine, and led me a few more yards forward.

I could tell by the sand below my feet and the sounds of the waves crashing and seagull sounds that we were at the beach.

"I know were at the beach. Can you take this thing off me now please?" I pleaded. I wasn't being mean. I was just getting tired of not being able to see anything. It gave me an all new appreciation for the blind—especially if they used to be able to see, then lost their sight one day.

"Just one minute..." Matthew said, leading me a little bit further.

I didn't want to be a bitch, so I kept my mouth shut.

Finally, we came to a stop.

"Are you ready to see your surprise?" he asked.

"_More_ than ready," I said.

He went behind me and finally undid my blindfold. Then, he stepped back and let me observe.

I finally got a look of where I was at, and I couldn't help but gasp. "It's beautiful," I breathed.

~Matthew~

"Do you like it?" I asked with a smile. I had been planning this ever since Kelly had mentioned she missed being on vacation in the warm weather.

I had a picnic dinner set out on a blanket with candles surrounding the whole perimeter or the blanket.

I had a portable CD player ready, and an ice bucket with a bottle of Champaign and two Champaign glasses. That wasn't the best part. There was a beach bed just like the bed that had been on the beach in The Cayman Islands. It was surrounded by tiki torch candles. Of course, the candles weren't too close. After all, I didn't want the curtains catching on fire.

Kelly covered her mouth with her hand. She had tears in her eyes. "This is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me."

I smiled, so glad she liked it.

I dropped my ipod down onto the blanket, then wrapped my arms around her from behind her, and kissed the side of her neck. "You deserve nothing but the best."

She turned to face me, and kissed me passionately. She stroked some hair out of my eyes. "How did you get this done?"

"It took some detective work, but I finally figured out who to call to reserve this section of the beach. There's a beach party a mile down the beach, but this section is reserved soully for us. It is closed to the public so that you and I can finally have our private time on the beach that we didn't get to have in The Cayman Islands. We have until midnight. Kind of like Cinderella." I grinned.

"When did you set all this up?" she asked, still apparently in shock.

"Remember when you took your shower, and I said I was going to go back to the one of the shops we went to so I could get Aven something I saw there?" I asked.

Kelly nodded. "I was surprised you didn't want to shower with me and _then_ go get Aven her present. You even came back with the Panda bear with The Cayman Islands T-shirt on it!"

I grinned. "I worked fast. I had a cab take me to the grocery store. Thankfully, they had stuffed animals there. I picked up the bear, as well as the things I needed for the picnic. Then, I got another taxi, and had the driver take me to the beach and wait while I set everything up. Then, I had him drive me back to you."

"I guess that would explain why you were gone so long just to pick up a stuffed panda bear. I figured there had been a long line or something," she said.

"Well, now you know." I took her waist in my hands and kissed her.

She kissed me back, then her stomach growled.

I laughed, and placed my hand over her stomach. "Someone's hungry, I take it?"

She licked her lips and nodded. "Very! What did you get for us?"

I took her hand, and helped her sit down. "Hold on just a second," I told her.

I took a lighter from my pocket, and lit all the candles. Then, I put the lighter back in my pocket, and turned on the CD player. I had a mixed CD of love songs in there that I had burned back at home. I turned it to a comfortable volume for eating, then sat down as Lonestar's "Amazed" began to play.

It was a nice, warm night. I silently thanked God that it wasn't windy or rainy.

I took out the food. I had gotten us ham salad sandwiches, cheddar cheese Sun Chips, carrot and celery sticks, and dip. For dessert, I had gotten us gourmet cupcakes from the grocery store's bakery.

Everything had been kept in a cooler that I had bought except for the chips, which were setting on the paper plates I had set out. I also had Pepsi cans in the cooler in case Kelly wanted something other than Champaign to drink.

"I know this isn't much, but, since I couldn't cook anything without you noticing, this will have to do," I said as I took the food out and laid it on our plates.

"It's perfect! It all looks so delicious," Kelly said. She looked me in the eyes and took my hands in hers. "Thank you so much for doing this for me. I don't know what I ever did to deserve someone as wonderful as you."

"You were born," I told her with a wink and a smile as I gently squeezed her hands in mine.

"Aw!" She kissed me, and then turned her attention back to her food.

We ate without speaking for a few moments. By that time, we were both starving.

I poured us each a glass of Champaign then. "What shall we toast to?" I asked after our glasses were both filled.

Kelly smiled. "To our marriage being solid for the rest of our lives."

"And even then!" I said,

She laughed. "And even then!"

We toasted, then drank up.

Edwin McCain's "I'll Be" began to play, and we smiled at each other.

We made small talk while we ate our dinner, then, when it was time for dessert, we got our cupcakes out and fed each other.

"It reminds me of our wedding cake," Kelly said through a mouthful of red velvet cupcake with vanilla frosting and red sugar crystals.

I smirked. "Well, in order for it to be like our wedding cake, we'd have to do _this_." I took the cupcake and smeared it across her face.

She gasped, then tried to do the same to me.

I grinned, and quickly stood up and ran.

~Kelly~

"Come back here and take your punishment like a man!" I called out, standing up and running after my fleeting husband.

He laughed. "Try to catch me!" He took a bite of the cupcake in his hand, and ran faster.

"That one is mine!" I yelled, running after him.

He giggled as he turned around and ran the other way, dodging me like a bullet.

He underestimated my speed and power, for, before he knew it, I had not only caught up with him, but pounced on him as well.

We fell to the ground in a heap of laughter.

"You dropped my cupcake," I groaned, looking over to the now sand-covered cupcake that had fallen from his hand a foot away. The seagulls hadn't taken long to find it, and were now happily pecking away at it.

"I'm sorry. Here. You can have mine. I'll have what's on your face." He licked off the frosting from my nose and face before I could protest.

"It's a good thing I'm not a germaphobe! I think you would have just given Howie Mandel a heart attack," I quipped with a smile.

He grinned. "Well, if you were Howie Mandel, I certainly wouldn't be licking your face anyway!"

We both laughed.

I held the cupcake I had in my hand up to Matthew's lips, and he took a bite.

He licked my lips. "Mm... We'll share."

I took a bite next, and we ended up finishing the cupcake together, never getting up from the sand. That is until "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo came on.

"Wanna dance?" he asked me.

I grinned. "If you get off of me."

"Well!" he said, feigning being insulted.

He stood up, and held out his hand to me.

I took his hand, and we began to slow dance.

"Mm, this is nice," I said, my head resting on his shoulder. "Thank you so much again for doing this for me."

"I'd do anything for you," he told me, his eyes lowering a bit. He looked like he wanted to kiss me. I wanted to kiss him too...so badly! I also didn't want to make him wait.

My eyes lowered as well as I kissed him slowly, yet passionately.

He moaned into the kiss, and kissed me back for a moment, then we continued to dance, just listening to the music, and enjoying being in each other's arms.

I never wanted the moment to end, but I knew that it would get even better in just a short period of time. At least, I _hoped_ it would.

We danced for two songs, just talking, laughing, and enjoying being together. Then, Miley Cyrus' "When I Look at You" came on.

I smiled at my husband. "Isn't this the song you sang to me on the cruise?"

He grinned. "Yes, it is. You remembered."

I kissed him. "Of course I remembered! It was the most beautiful moment in our whole relationship, well, besides our wedding and the birth of Lily. And tied with this!"

He laughed, and nuzzled his nose against mine. "You'r so your beautiful, and sweet, and kind, and—"

I cut him off with a kiss, then a finger to his lips. "Sh... Just dance with me."

His eyes lowered and he nodded. Then, he kissed me again before dancing with me, the only sound beside the music being the sounds of the waves crashing and the seagulls. It was perfect.

There was a slight breeze, but surprisingly, it didn't blow out the candles. It was starting to get a little dark out, and the whole night was just so beautiful. I had never felt more at peace than I did at that moment in my husband's arms, dancing with him to the song he had chosen to sing for me before.

We practically glided across the sand, the song ending sooner than I wanted it to.

"I'm sad the song ended," I said.

He smiled, and gently stroked my cheek. "The nice thing about a CD player is that you can just restart the track." And so, he did. And then, he picked me up and carried me to the bed.

"We can do this now," he murmured. "There's no one around, and we have the whole beach to ourselves until midnight."

I smiled. "Are you sure?"

His eyes lowered, and he nodded, stroking some hair out of my face. "I'm sure." He kissed me.

I sighed into the kiss, and kissed him back. I let him undress me, and I undressed him. I could hardly believe we were doing this in public. Anyone could come over and see us whether this part of the beach was closed or not. Even so, I couldn't get myself to stop. I wanted him. No, I _needed_ him then. With the setting, the music, and my husband, there was no way I was going to put an end to this. This, was a moment to always remember, which I knew I always would.

It didn't take long for either one of us to get undressed. Our clothes lay on the sand, and I was half worried the wind would blow them away, but... So what if they did? All that mattered to me at that moment was showing my husband how much I loved him, and being loved by him in return.

He took my right hand in his left hand, and held me with his free hand. "I love you."

I stroked some hair out of his eyes. "I love you too. Make love to me now, please?" I said in practically a whisper.

He stroked my cheek. "You never have to beg me." He kissed me then entered me.

I moaned, my back arching as he gave me such an instant pleasure.

I wrapped my legs and arms around him, and we kissed some more as he continued to make love to me. He felt so good—every part of him... I couldn't get enough of him.

When it was over, he rolled off of me, but took me in his arms, and we lay facing each other in each other's arms.

We kissed, and somewhere during our kissing, we must have ended up falling asleep. I was vaguely aware of Matthew's head resting in the crook of my neck as I rested my head against his, the gentle breeze, running through my hair and against my cheek like a gentle caress. I was at peace, and I knew my husband was as well.

~Matthew~

When I woke up, I felt like going for a swim. I figured, why not? No one was around, and I was already naked.

Kelly woke up when I got out of bed, and she propped herself up on her elbow as she watched me. "Where are you going?" she asked with a smile.

"Well, first I have to use the bathroom, then I thought I'd go for a late-night swim." I nodded toward the water. "Care to join me?"

Kelly blushed, but the grin was still on her face. "What if someone sees us?"

"Do you see anyone around?" I motioned around the deserted part of the beach.

"That could change," Kelly reasoned.

I shook my head. "I assure you, this place is all ours until—"

"Midnight," Kelly finished for me. She smiled. "All right, let's do it."

I raised my eyebrows up and down and grinned. "All right, if you'd rather do _that_, I won't complain."

She laughed. "You know what I mean!" She climbed out of bed, and took my hand. "Let's go to the bathrooms. I have to go badly."

So, we headed to the bathrooms, then went our separate ways just long enough to go to the bathroom, flush, and dry and wash our hands.

Then, we met back out in front of the bathrooms.

"I'll race you!" I said, running toward the water.

"Hey, no fair! You didn't even count down!" she complained, running after me.

Despite my head start, she made it to the water seconds before me.

"No fair!" I said.

"You cheated and I didn't. I'd say it's plenty fair," she said with a wink.

"How'd you get to be so fast?" I asked her.

She smirked. "I do a lot of jogging. I'm used to it." She then dunked me under the water.

I gasped, spitting the water from my mouth, and moving my now matted hair out of my eyes. "Oh, you're gonna get it!" I said with a laugh.

She laughed. "Not if you can't catch me! I bet I'm a faster swimmer too!"

"Oh, we'll see about that!" I said, racing after her.

We played around for two minutes, then I was tired.

"All right!" I said, out of breath. "I give up! You're faster than me _and_ in better shape."

She smiled at me, and swam over. "I don't know," she purred against my left ear, "I think you're in pretty good shape when it counts."

I smiled. "Like when?"

She smirked. "You know when."

I took her face in my hands. "Like when I make love to you?" I murmured into her right ear.

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. "I bet if you tried right now, you could." She brushed her lips against my ear again. "Even in the water. We've never made love in an ocean, you know."

I felt my eyes darken. "Well, maybe we should change that," I said.

She nodded. "I really think we should."

We kissed, and I quickly took care of our never-having-made-love-in-an-ocean problem.

It felt even more amazing under water, making love to her underneath the moonlight, and hearing her moans of pleasure in the dark of the night. It was fully dark now, the moon, stars, and candles our only source of light.

I kissed and sucked her neck as we came down from our post orgasmic highs. When I slid from her body, I pulled her close and kissed her, not ready to let go of her quite yet.

Then, she started to shiver.

"Let's get you back into your warm clothes," I told her.

She rubbed her arms. "I think that's a good idea."

So, we headed back to the beach.

We dried off using the towels I had bought at the store (I had anticipated our swimming), then got dressed.

"Did you build that?" Kelly asked me, pointing a few yards away to a bonfire pit.

I shook my head. "No. Does it have firewood in it?"

Kelly nodded. "It looks like it."

We walked over and saw that it was indeed filled with firewood.

I smiled. "Well, this works out perfectly!" I took out my lighter, and after a few tries, I got the bonfire lit. "Let's bring the blanket over here," I said.

Kelly nodded, then headed over with me. We set the towels, cooler and Champaign bottle aside, then brought the blanket over by the fire and lay it out.

We sat down on it, and looked up at the stars.

"It's such a beautiful night," Kelly said.

"From my view it is anyway," I said, smiling at her.

She smiled at me, then took my face in her hands and kissed me.

I kissed her in return, then wrapped my arm around her, and let her rest her head on my shoulder. I felt like being spontaneous and romantic then, so I began to sing to her A cappella, "When I Look at You."

She smiled up at me, and snuggled closer to me, then rested her head on my shoulder again and closed her eyes.

When I finished, she stroked some hair out of my eyes. "Thank you. That was even more beautiful the second time around." She kissed me, and soon we were laying down on the blanket, kissing.

We held each other for a bit after that, and just stared up at the stars.

We talked, joked, laughed, danced, and finally, it was just about midnight.

We headed back to the bed, and lay down together, Kelly resting her head on my chest with my arms wrapped tightly around her.

We looked at my watch together. It was just about midnight. We counted down. "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. "Happy New Year!" We said in unison.

We both laughed, then we kissed, only stopping when we heard the fireworks.

"Look!" Kelly pointed to the sky, where an array of beautifully colored fireworks were going off. "I guess they must be from the beach party down the beach."

"I guess so," I said.

While still lying in each other's arms, we watched the fireworks, kissing every once in a while.

Kelly smiled as she watched them, and I couldn't help but think how beautiful her smile was. Then again, everything about her was beautiful.

"I guess we should be going soon, huh?" she asked after a moment. "It's after midnight."

"Let's just lie here a little bit longer," I said, gently rubbing her back. "I don't think they'll kick us out for ten extra minutes."

She smiled, and snuggled closer to me. "Okay." She kissed me, then went back to watching the fireworks with her head resting on my chest.

I tightened by grip around her and kissed the top of her head. Then, I went back to watching the fireworks as well, thinking how the beach party wasn't the only thing, or should I say _one_ who made me see fireworks. Kelly did with every smile, every touch, and every kiss she gave me, and I loved her more than life for it.

~Kelly~

After the fireworks, we had packed up our things, called a cab, and headed back to the hotel. We packed our clothes that night so we wouldn't have to do it in the morning. Then, we showered, and finally got to bed. We were both exhausted by then.

We had just enough time to get some breakfast at the airport and buy some last minute souvenirs before catching our flight. We were both still tired, and slept a little on the plane. It was only a three hour flight, so we were home in no time at all.

Our children ran to us, happy to see us. My mother, brother, and Gary were happy to see us as well, and everyone was happy for their gifts. And of course we all wished each other a Happy New Year.

"Well, I know you just got home, but Gary and I wanted to treat you all for lunch. You up for it?" my mother asked.

"Yes, but _we_ should be the ones treating _you_ guys for staying with the kids!" I said.

Matthew nodded.

"Nonsense! It's never a chore to take care of my grandchildren," my mother said.

"Soon to be _my_ grandchildren," Gary said with a nod, a smile, and a wink.

"And my nieces and nephew. You guys should give me another nephew!" my brother said with a grin and a wink.

Matthew nodded. "Thank you! That is what I've been saying."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, he wants one because he doesn't have to be the one who's pregnant. We have plenty of children already. Besides, even if I did get pregnant, there's no guaranteeing it would be a boy."

"Aren't there things you can do during the pregnancy to make it lean more toward being a boy?" Matthew asked.

I rolled my eyes. "We'll never know because we're done having kids."

Matthew pouted.

"Talk about it later. Right now, I am starved," my mother said. "Let's go eat."

And so we all went to lunch. I wasn't about to have another baby. I loved my children, and I felt blessed to have my children, but I didn't need any more.

"Are you sure you don't want a baby?" Matthew asked later that night after we lay in bed. The rest of the day had been wonderful, spending it with our family. Now, my mother, Gary, and brother were all in bed, for they had a flight to catch tomorrow at noon. The kids of course, were all tired, and out like a light in the bedrooms. So, that just left my husband and I in bed together. It wasn't exactly a bad thing, but I was tired of being begged for a baby.

He ran his fingers up my bare stomach under my pink silk nightgown. "You could stop taking your birth control, and we could get started right away." He grinned at me, and wriggled his eyebrows suggestively up and down.

I smirked at him. "Not happening. Well, the second part maybe if you stop begging me for a baby."

He pouted. "Aw, come on, Kel! Don't you want another son? We can name him Rufus, then we'll have our Rufus and Lily."

I smirked. "For one, our characters are a _couple_—not brother and sister. And second of all, as I've said before, Rufus sounds like a dog's name."

He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. "Well, I think it's a cute name for a baby, and a distinguished name for an adult! He could be a doctor or something. "Doctor Rufus Settle. You could be denying people a world class doctor by not having a baby with me."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right."

He rolled on top of me, and kissed me. "Can we at least make love? I'm sorry I keep pestering you for a baby. I just like having yet another testament of our love."

I smiled, and stroked the hair out of his eyes. "We don't need another testament of our love. We have a beautiful baby girl together, and a beautiful son and two beautiful daughters we love as if they were ours together. Plus, we have each other. I have all the love I need right here." I stroked his hair again.

His eyes lowered and he kissed me, and soon, we were making love.

I loved him so much. I really did have all the love I needed with Matthew and our children. My life was complete, and I could now live without ever wanting for anything more. I was grateful to God for that.

After our lovemaking, I lay with my head on his chest, and smiled up at him. "As far as the whole Rufus thing, maybe we can compromise."

He grinned widely. "Really?"

I nodded, grinning wider was well. "Really."

"A compromise?" he asked.

I nodded.

"So, what did you have in mind?" he asked, his hands trailing over my breasts as if to butter me up.

I smirked. "You'll see." I hid a giggle as I rested my head on his chest again. Indeed he would.

~Matthew~

_Three months later..._

"Rufus, come here, baby!"

I watched as Rufus ran to my wife, and ate the hot dog she gave him off the grill.

"Not too fast," she warned him. "It's hot, and I don't want you to choke."

Oliver, the family dog, tried to get a bite of the hot dog.

"Don't steal. I have one for you too," Kelly told him, handing him his own hot dog.

Oliver had the hot dog gone in five seconds.

"Now go see Daddy," Kelly said to Rufus.

Rufus ran to me as if he had understood, a smile on his face, and his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

I bent down and scratched his brown ears. "Hey, Boy." A brown and white bulldog was not exactly what I had had in mind when I had told Kelly I wanted a son. But, seeing as this was as close to a son I was gonna have (besides Hermés of course), he would have to do. When she mentioned a compromise, I should have known what Kelly had up her sleeve after she had always said that Rufus was a dog's name.

Rufus licked my hand, then ran over to Oliver so that they could run together. Oliver was older, so of course, he couldn't run as fast as the puppy, but he was still pretty fast for his old age.

We had gotten Rufus two months ago, having found him when he was just born. We had looked for a breeder when deciding upon what kind of dog to get, and we found his breeder. We decided on a bull dog because we wanted something smaller this time, but not so small we had to worry about stepping on him.

The kids adored him, and even I had to admit, it was the next best thing to actually having a baby. He was my boy. He even slept at the end of the bed on my side. I loved him like a son already.

"Look Daddy, I'm riding a pony!" Aven called out to me.

I looked over to see that she was trying to ride on Oliver's back as Oliver ran. She was hanging on tightly to his collar.

Kelly laughed. "I'd take a picture, but I think you better get her off before she falls."

I nodded, then quickly ran over and picked her up. "You can't ride the doggy, Sweetie, but I'l take you for a real pony ride sometime." I kissed the top of her head.

She smiled up at me. "Okay, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too," I said, feeling my heart melt.

Kelly came over to us and kissed me, then, stroked Aven's hair. "We can buy you a stuffed pony too if you'd like."

Aven grinned.

Lily came toddling over, and held her hands up to me. She was such a daddy's girl, and I loved it! "Up!" she said.

I lifted her up with my free hand.

Of course, Helena saw this and wanted Kelly to pick her up. Then, Hermés, not wanting to be left out, came over to us, and hugged us both.

"Can I bring in the girls to watch _Dora the Explorer_? he asked.

It was the girls' favorite show, and Hermés liked watching it with them because, as he had told us once, he loved seeing his sisters happy.

Kelly grinned. "Sure! Just make sure your hands are clean before you turn on the TV. Did you get all the hamburger grease off them?" We had just had a cookout with hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch.

Hermés nodded, and showed his mother his hands for proof.

Kelly stroked his hair and leaned down to kiss his head. "Good boy. Go ahead. Bring the dogs in with you!"

I looked at my girls. "You wanna go watch Dora with your brother?"

The girls all giggled, and clapped their hands. "Dora!"

I kissed the top of their heads and grinned, then I set them back down.

Kelly did the same for Helena, and soon, all our kids were in the house, watching their favorite show, leaving Kelly and I alone in the backyard.

"How did we get so lucky to have such great children?" Kelly asked me as she wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"I smiled at her. "Well, they have a great mother that raises them right."

"And they have an amazing father that raises them right as well," she said to me.

Our eyes lowered, and we kissed.

It was that moment that I realized I didn't need another human son. I had all I could ever want and need with Kelly and our children, which included the dogs. I couldn't ask for anything more. I told Kelly that then.

She smiled at me. "And what made you realize that?"

"When I look at you," I told her, "I realize there is not anything else in this world that I could ever need. All I need is God, you, and our family. When I have that, I have everything."

She pulled me into a kiss for that. "I love you," she said, resting her head against mine. "Along with our kids, you're the best thing that God ever gave me."

I kissed her too. "Right back at you. I love you more than I ever thought I could love a person."

"Let's go to bed," she said simply.

I smiled. "But what about the kids?"

Kelly looked at her watch. "We still have twenty-five minutes left of _Dora_. You know their eyes never leave the screen when they're watching that."

"Well, in that case..." I picked Kelly up and carried her toward the house.

Kelly giggled. "Put me down!" she said with a laugh. "What will the kids think?"

"They'll just know how in love I am with their mommy," I said.

Her eyes lowered, and she kissed me, allowing me to carry her to the bedroom.

Our lovemaking was even better, just as I knew the rest of our lives together would be—I had no doubt in my mind. If I ever _did_ doubt, all I had to do was look at Kelly, and all doubt vanished forever, for Kelly was just like a dream to me—all I could ever want, and all I could ever need.


End file.
